For Love or For Blood
by allhailshadow15
Summary: Love is in the air... Jericho, a legendary black and green halfblood hedgehog, vows that he never loves another mortal. But yet when he catches first sight of a creamcolored hedgehog, Trisha, he fears that the beast inside him will break free...
1. What Is Your Name?

Okay, this is my very first time at formatting . . . I know I may suck at it now, so please don't say it so rudely, You could at least give me a few tips to tell me how to format correctly. I've never done it before so please, don't speak out in nasty ways. :D This is the beginning of my story that I did on DA. It may be connected to my Sonic fan characters more than the originals. So if you like Sonic fan characters, please read this. It sort of has romance in it as well. :) But not in a while . . .

------

"SURPRISE!" Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Cream, Kaz, and Rouge exclaimed as they sprang out from behind the couches and book cases. Shadow, on the other hand, slowly took his time creeping out from behind the wall, barely caring about the set-up that Sonic and crew had planned for days.

Jericho stood there dumbfound at the door, his orange eyes narrow and aglow. Sonic and the others dropped their heads and groaned with disappointment in their throats. Jericho raised one brow, "What's that about?"

Sonic waved his hand, "Oh it's nothing, Jericho. It's just that we were expecting someone else."

"Someone. . . else . . . " Jericho repeated in a sway.

Tails nodded, "Yeah, you wanna join us?"

"No thanks," Jericho grumbled. "I just came here to tell you guys that I'll be out longer . . . later."

Sonic jumped to grab Jericho's arm, "Wait Jericho!" But he was not quick enough to stop him. Jericho had already stepped out of the house and shut the door. Sonic slid a glance to the rest of the team. Everyone, besides Shadow, revealed a twisted expression of nervousness on their faces.

---

Jericho explored the wild city. All was bright with blinding lights, crowded with live mortal beings, and noisy with people talking and walking around the streets, while the entire city was surrounded by a heavy blanket of the nightly sky. Jericho just wanted to be alone, away from the world, so he turned and took the grimy alley.

_"Why do I feel like I've fallen into a ditch and someone has buried me alive to suffocate?"_ he wondered to himself. _"Such pain and sorrow I have had too long, I cannot bear it anymore."_

He came to a halt and thought, visioning his horrific memories of his past life as a young one. He then shook it off, "My images of my past are beginning to haunt me. All I see are overflows of blood gorging from mortal veins. These burning eyes that watch my every move I make." He pictured a tall grey wolf, wearing a cloak, covering his appearance. He revealed one eye to be yellow, and the other eye to be orange, sharp like a raptor's. Another role played, showing living beings screaming and falling to the floor, crying for mercy. And they suddenly collapse and rot in their own pool of blood. Jericho shook his head violently to erase such nasty pictures, "These things, I must throw away . . . I should at least feel safe now, away from such force." He then closed his eyes, playing yet another video of his memory, but not a so gory one. A cream-colored female hedgehog came into his thoughts. She was naked, but her arms hid her breasts. Her eyes glowed a rosy pink. It was his long lost love he once had, Fay . . .

"Fay," Jericho murmured as he opened his eyes. His muscles tensioned, his flesh going cold. "This emptiness saddens me. Darkness is overpowering my soul . . . Before that day, have you not loved me? . . ." He did not wait for a response, "Perhaps I am out of favor with my loved one. But why even mourn more for you if you're dead? You're free from demon wings and hell's fire. This beast that you've seen, be punished." He lowered his head, meaning himself as the beast. "Rip out my heart and torture me if you will . . . God strike me!" He fell to his knees and hissed, "I've suffered enough! There is no purpose for me to live, strike me!" He reached out his hands to the sky. All he got was the blow of the wind.

A window from one side of the alley slid open, and a dog's head appeared, "Eh, shut up will ya? I'm trying to get some sleep here!" Jericho blinked and did not speak. The dog slammed the window shut and closed the curtains.

Jericho bowed his head, then muttered, "If you do not wish for me to die, at least hear my voice . . . Reserve one star for my wish . . . Do not let me love another mortal. I cannot take anymore of this curse, spreading this virus to innocense. Please keep that hold and remember those words." He stumbled to get up, and spoke again, "And please, don't let anyone love me. This is all I can take . . ." He took his step, and walked straight into the open streets.

As he went down the illuminated part of the city, he rubbed his face with intimidation, feeling miserable, "I should probably head back home, I think I had enough talk with myself for tonight." He suddenly bumped into an orange echidna.

"Oh sorry," she said.

Jericho never looked up and he groaned, "Sorry . . ."

The orange echidna just stood there in his way until a tan-colored hedgehog tugged on her arm, "Come on Anna. Let's go."

"Okay," the echidna said. "Sorry I ran into you. You should watch where you're going next time." They both disappeared into the crowd.

Jericho just stood there motionlessly, his head bowed. "I deserved that . . ." he said. "Maybe I should stay longer . . ." He turned around and went through another alley.

---

The moon rose higher into the night, which began to light up the shadows of the alley. Jericho wandered through the darkened streets, thinking nothing but agony of his life. He passed a gang that blended into the murky colors of the garbage cans and walls. They looked at each other, then smiled something sly, their crooked yellow teeth revealing beneath their lips. Jericho kicked a can and sighed, until the leader of the gang stepped forth and spoke, "Hey!"

Jericho stopped, then glanced over his shoulder, "It's a bad moment for you to be talking to me . . . I have no time to speak to you mortals . . ."

"You calling us weak?" the leader hissed. Jericho turned around to face them, his expression not changed. The leader stomped one foot, "You're gonna get it for saying that!"

Jericho huffed, "What is there for you to do?" He suddenly heard some more members closing in from behind him. He sensed danger, but did not budge.

The leader laughed, then leaned on one side, "There are many to list for what I can do to you . . . But I don't plan to do any of the sort." Jericho stared blankly. The leader and members walked up to him, until he was face to face with Jericho, "I see you looking depressed . . ." Jericho looked away, agreeing to what he said. The leader sneered, "You know, I just wanna talk . . ."

Suddenly, he stabbed his fist into Jericho's gut. Jericho lost his air. A gang member from the back then slammed his back, sending Jericho to the ground. The gang started kicking him and beating him up. "Who's the weak one now, Hedgehog?!" the leader shouted. Jericho curled up, grumbling to himself. Just then, a voice echoed throughout the alley, "HEY!" The gang froze.

"Pick on somebody your own size!" the voice said.

The leader waved his hand, "Come on, this guy is nothing . . . Let's get out of here." They scrambled into the night.

"Yeah you better run, or you'll be dealing with me!" the voice snarled. "I don't wanna see your faces again!" Jericho groaned and coughed, holding his stomach. He heard footsteps come up to him, and he saw two blurry shoes standing before his eyes. Jericho was losing focus, and he could feel himself being rolled over. Looking up, he saw the orange echidna that he had bumped into earlier in the night. The echidna's eyes grew big, "It's you . . ." Jericho tried to get a clearer view of the echidna's face, but blacked out . . .

---

Jericho groaned and slowly opened his eyes. The light was bright until his eyes finally got used to it. Sonic and the others were staring down at him. So was the orange echidna he did not know. "Heyya Jericho," Sonic said, grinning. "Glad you're okay . . ." Jericho carefully sat up in the couch, rubbing his head.

The orange echidna jumped, "Wait, you know him?"

Sonic nodded, "Yep, he's been part of this group since you two left on a little trip."

"Oh, well then, hi there, Jericho," the echidna said. "My name's Anna." Jericho blinked at Anna, and Anna shook his hand. "It's nice to have a new member on the team," she smiled.

Jericho grumbled, "Hey . . ."

Anna snapped her fingers, "You know, you sort of look like Shadow, only with green stripes. Are you his twin?"

"We've been through this before!" Shadow hissed. "We are not related!"

Anna bent back, then wiped the spit off her face, "Oh, well excuse me . . ."

Jericho rubbed his eyes, "What happened . . . How did I get back here?"

Sonic wrapped his arm around Anna's neck, "Anna found you being beaten up by some gang members."

Jericho looked at Sonic, then at Anna, "Thanks . . ."

"Now why didn't you fight back?!" Knuckles snarled. "If they threw a fist at me, I'd give them a reflection!" He swung his fist through the air, almost hitting Sonic.

"Cool it down Knux," Sonic said, lowering his hands to settle Knuckles' rage. Jericho stared, then something caught his eye behind Anna. He leaned over to one side, trying to get a better view. It was the tan-colored hedgehog, sitting on the staircase. Her head was turned. She wore a thick green turtleneck sweater long blue jeans. The hedgehog finally turned, feeling as if someone was watching her. Her eyes were cinnamon brown. She looked alittle scared and surprised.

Jericho's eyes widened as he whispered, "Who's that?"

Sonic glanced over his shoulder, "Oh her, that's Trisha." He jumped over to her and pulled her up to her feet, "She's the other one that went out on a journey with Anna."

Jericho got up and outstretched his hand, "Hi." Trisha stared at his hand then turned away. Jericho tilted his head.

Sonic chuckled, "She's shy, barely speaks at all . . . If you ever hear her speak, it's a miracle. She usually talks to Anna." He sighed, "I don't know, she just trusts Anna more because they were with each other when we found them."

Jericho frowned, "Found them?"

Sonic itched his nose, "Yep, same in a way we found you . . . Lost and alone . . ." Jericho looked down at Trisha, feeling somewhat sorry. Trisha looked up at Jericho, then quickly turned away. Sonic slid his eyes from Jericho to Trisha, then said, "Trisha, aren't you gonna say hello?"

Trisha bowed her head, then spoke softly, "Hi Jericho . . ." Jericho jerked, surprised by her voice.

Sonic praised, "She speaks! Yes!"

Anna rolled her eyes, "Oh please, Sonic . . ." Sonic shrugged.

Amy sprang infront of him, "I'm sleepy, let's go to bed. We have everybody here."

"Okay then," Sonic said. "Let's go!" Sonic and the others ran up the stairs. Trisha still stood infront of Jericho, her face hidden. She finally looked up at Jericho for the longest time.

Jericho smiled alittle, "Hey." Trisha showed no expression. She stared blankly.

Anna cried out from upstairs, "Come on Trisha, time to sleep!"

Trisha looked back, "Okay . . ." She went up the stairs, took out a key from her pocket, and unlocked the door to her room. She went in and shut the door. Jericho blinked his eyes, _"So that's why the door's been locked. It's her room . . ." _He then huffed and shook his head, "I should get myself some shut-eye too." He switched off the lights to the main room, then lied down on the couch and fell into a troublesome sleep, dreaming once again of his tragic days as a young one.


	2. A New Artist

It was the next morning. Sonic and Tails were standing at the door. Sonic itched his nose, "Me and Tails will be out taking the X-Tornado for a spin."

"Have fun Sonic," Amy squeaked.

Sonic smiled uncomfortably, then looked at Jericho, who was just standing there like a statue. "You wanna come Jericho?" he asked. Jericho looked up, then shook his head. Sonic shrugged, "Well, your loss . . . Let's go, Tails!" He zoomed out of the house.

Tails jumped, "Hey, wait up!" He hurried behind.

Rouge went to the door, "I'm heading out to check on the emeralds."

"Oh no you're not!" Knuckles hissed.

Rouge stuck out her tongue, "Gotta catch me first!" She was gone in a flash.

"Rouge, get back here!" Knuckles snarled, and chased after her.

Shadow walked out of the house as he spoke, "I going . . ."

"To where?," Kaz wondered.

"Who cares," Shadow said, and was gone.

Amy hopped up and down, "Alright girls, let's go shopping!" Amy, Kaz, Cream, and Anna ran out the door.

Anna then peaked back inside to see Trisha standing there by Jericho. "You coming, Trisha?" she asked.

Trisha blinked, "Um . . . No, I'm fine . . . You go ahead . . ."

"Man, you never go out with us," Anna said. Trisha squeezed her hands together. Jericho looked down at Trisha, feeling curious. Anna shook her head, "We'll go buy something for you while we're out shopping." She then headed out and closed the door.

Jericho looked down at Trisha. Trisha looked up at Jericho. Her eyes were huge, like puppy eyes. Jericho smiled, "Hey." Trisha turned away and went into the kitchen. Jericho's mouth dropped into a frown. He sighed and followed into the kitchen. He saw that a milk carton was out, and Trisha was reaching out to get a glass. Suddenly, stacks of glass came tumbling down. Jericho quickly acted, sliding over to Trisha and catching the falling cups. Trisha stepped back, shocked.

"Whoa!" she said. Jericho stared, then put up the extra cups away. Trisha blinked, "Quick reflexes . . ."

Jericho grinned, "Be careful next time." He then gave her the glass. Trisha stared down at the glass, looked up at Jericho, then smiled. Jericho cracked a grin. Trisha's smile quickly turned into a frown and moved to the milk carton. Jericho hung his arms freely, one eye brow raised. Trisha poured out some milk, then saved the rest in the fridge. She gulped down her drink, then rinsed her glass. Jericho just stood and watched with interest. Trisha turned her glass over to let it dry, then sat down at the kitchen table.

Jericho looked at her, then sat down beside her. Trisha looked alittle nervous, and turned away. Jericho folded his arms on the table, then drummed his fingers. Trisha moved her eyes around, trying to avoid looking at Jericho. Jericho's eyes slanted sideways, feeling sad. He took a deep breath, then said, "So . . . how come you're staying here?"

Trisha peaked at Jericho, then looked away, "Cause . . . I don't usually like shopping."

"Oh," Jericho said.

Trisha huddled in her chair and looked down. She finally spoke, "Why are you here?"

Jericho shrugged his shoulders, "I always stay in the house unless I feel like going out."

Trisha looked up at him. Jericho's eyes were glassy. "How come?" she asked.

Jericho slid his eyes from side to side, "Uhhh, I don't know, I just do."

Trisha squinted, then looked out the window. She then glanced at Jericho, "So what's your story?"

Jericho jerked, "My what?"

"There must be a reason why you've been added to the team. It's rare that Sonic finds anybody that he likes to add to the group."

"Oh, well um . . ." Jericho thought. He didn't want Trisha to know his whole story. What would she think? "I was new to this city," he said quickly. "And Sonic found me wandering around the alley. He saw my moves and decided to add me to the team. He said I would be quite helpful in fighting Dr. Eggman sometime."

Trisha's jaw dropped, "You know Dr. Eggman?"

"Well yeah, Sonic told me alot about him," Jericho said.

"Did anything happen while me and Anna were gone?" Trisha asked.

Jericho shook his head, "Not that I know of... Pretty much the same everyday . . ."

Trisha smiled, then frowned, "That's strange . . ."

Jericho's ears perked, "What?"

"Eggman hasn't been attacking us for a very long time . . . Wonder if he's up to something very dangerous . . ."

"Unless he gave up," Jericho muttered.

Trisha shook her head, "Oh no, not this guy. He never quits. He always comes up with another plan to wipe us out."

Jericho flattened his ears and mumbled, "Kinda like Master . . ."

"What was that?"

Jericho sweated, "Oh nothing, heheh . . ."

Trisha raised one brow, "You know, I've never talked to someone this long except to Anna."

"I must be lucky," Jericho grinned.

Trisha narrowed her eyes, "Yeah . . ."

Jericho tilted his head, "Why don't you talk much?"

Trisha sighed and shook her head, "I just . . . I just feel like I have nothing to say . . . ever . . ."

"There's always something to say," Jericho said.

Trisha shrugged, "I guess . . ."

Jericho looked away, then back at Trisha, "So how did you come here?"

Trisha's eyes widened, and looked away, "Because of . . . something . . ." Jericho didn't understand. Trisha turned to face Jericho and snapped, "Me and Anna were alone in the alley, and Eggman was hurting us. Sonic came to the rescue and figured we were safer with him, so he wanted us to stay with him and become part of the Sonic HQ."

Jericho itched his nose, "Well that's nice . . ."

Trisha got up, "I need to get going . . ."

Jericho sprang to his feet, "Wait, where you going?"

Trisha went through the kitchen door, "Nowhere, just running off to tidy up the house before the others return."

Jericho walked out of the kitchen and watched Trisha run up the stairs. "Can I help?" he asked.

Trisha froze, then looked over her shoulder. Jericho could see a tiny smile on her face. Trisha shrugged, "sure, why not?" She then rushed into Sonic's room. Jericho hurried upstairs and went into where Trisha was.

He leaned on the door, watching Trisha straighten up the blankets in Sonic's bed. "So, this is what you do every single day when you're home?" Jericho asked.

Trisha huffed, "Yes . . ."

"Well don't you get . . . you know, alittle exhausted doing the work for them?" Jericho asked. "I mean, it almost sounds as if they're too lazy to straighten up the house by themselves."

"They're not lazy," Trisha said. "And besides, I don't mind cleaning the house." She stood up and smiled.

Jericho shook his head, "What are you, a house maid?"

Trisha went around the bed and moved across to the next room, "No of course not. Like I said, I love cleaning up the house. Anna does this sometimes too but she's mostly out. I'm usually the one who gets things ready for them."

Jericho went over and leaned on the next door, "And you don't mind?"

Trisha pulled the blankets up, "No, I don't."

Jericho shrugged, "Okay, if you say so." Trisha sighed and went to the next room. Jericho followed and watched. Trisha fluffed the pillows up. Jericho tilted his head, "So, Trisha . . . If you ever went outside, what would you do?"

Trisha stopped and looked up, "Well, I rest . . ."

"Rest? What do you mean?"

Trisha snorted as she moved into the next room, "When I'm done doing my work, I rest beneath the sun, take some fresh air."

Jericho stepped into the room, "Oh . . ."

Trisha glanced at him, smiled, then groaned, "Didn't you want to help me?"

"Oh!" Jericho said, suddenly remembering. He ran to one side of the bed, while Trisha stood on the other side.

Trisha pointed at the white sheet, "Grab that end for me will ya?" Jericho took the ends of the sheet, and Trisha took the other ends. They both then lifted the blanket up, and let it fall gently onto the mattress. Jericho stared at Trisha in a daze as the sheet fell. Trisha was looking back at him, her eyes broken in white shimmers. Jericho cracked a smile, his mouth partly open. Trisha moved her chin inward, feeling bashful, then went on smoothing out the wrinkles on the bed.

Jericho stood there for a moment, then joined in, "So Trisha, where did you and Anna go during your trip?"

"Oh, the journey?" Trisha asked. "It was just a little break Sonic gave to us. He figured we needed some rest so he let us go on a little vacation. We went far out on the other side of Mobius."

"What did you two do there?" Jericho wondered.

Trisha sighed, "What we're interested in . . ."

Jericho froze, "Oh, and what was that?"

Trisha looked up, "Drawing . . . Me and Anna love to draw . . ."

Jericho was silent for a moment, then finally asked, "Draw what?"

Trisha shrugged, "Just stuff . . . Sonic calls us the little artists." She smiled, making the first "t" on artists sound strong.

Jericho raised one brow, "Stuff . . ."

Trisha's eyes widen, "What, are you suspicious with what we draw?"

Jericho grinned, "Maybe . . ."

"Good god, I'm not sick," Trisha squealed. "I would never draw stuff like THAT!"

"Like what?" Jericho sneered.

Trisha's cheeks puffed, "You know what I'm talking about, pervert . . ."

"Pervert?" Jericho's face twisted. "Hey I'm just curious . . ."

"Well why think things like that?" Trisha snapped. "You think I'm the type of hedgehog who would draw stuff like THAT?"

Jericho slouched, " . . . No . . . but then what stuff DO you draw?"

Trisha sighed, calming her voice down, "Nature and other things like that." Jericho looked at Trisha, who looked at him. She then lowered her head and closed her eyes.

Jericho whispered, "Could you show me?"

Trisha's ears perked, "Oh, well um . . ." Jericho raised one brow, waiting for an answer. Trisha rubbed her eye, "I don't think they're good."

"I don't care," Jericho said. "I just wanna see."

Trisha huffed, "Well . . . okay, if you want to. But I'm telling ya, they're no good."

Jericho grinned, "Yeah . . . sure . . ."

Trisha rushed into her room, skipping a few other rooms that she didn't fix yet. She knelt down to her bedside and pulled out her luggage from beneath. Jericho eventually came into the room and sat down on her bed and watched. Trisha unzipped her bag, then brought out what seemed to be a spiral sketchbook. She then moved up and sat beside Jericho, "Well, here it is..." She held up the sketchbook. Jericho stared at it, then took it. Trisha crossed her arms, "I'm sure you won't like them. They're not really that good."

Jericho opened the front cover. A drawing of some flickies preening their feathers in the tree appeared on the first page. Jericho smiled, "You drew these?"

Trisha nodded, "Yeah . . ." Jericho turned to the next page, which showed some wild flowers. Trisha rubbed the back of her neck, "They're nothing much. Just some nature . . ."

"They're very nice," Jericho muttered. "Just look at those ripples in the flowers' petals."

Trisha blushed, "Really?"

Jericho turned to look at Trisha's shy face, "Of course." Trisha smiled, hiding her face in embarrassment.

Jericho chuckled in his throat, then went to the next page, showing a drawing of a pond with cattails, and a dragonfly resting motionlessly on one of the tall plants. "I've never seen anything like this," Jericho muttered. "Where I came from, there was . . . nothing . . . Where did you go to get these pictures?"

Trisha shrugged, "Anna and I just went down to the other side of the world . . . It's beautiful there."

"I can tell," Jericho mumbled, then moved to the next page. This time there was a sketch of some country folks. Two cats had their arms wrapped around each others' shoulders. One wore a knitted dress, and the other wore a giant straw hat, bigger than the size of the head. "Well who are these guys?" Jericho asked.

Trisha jumped, "Oh, those are just some folks we met on our vacation. This one here in the dress is Melony, and the other one in the hat is Raud." Jericho stared down at the folks, lost in thought. He started to vision his past again, with him sketching Fay in her revealing gown. Trisha switched her eyes from the sketchpad to Jericho's eyes, then mumbled, "Something wrong?"

Jericho shook out of his memory, " . . . No . . ." Trisha's eyes slid downward, back to her drawing, and sighed solemnly. Jericho looked at Trisha and said, "You know . . . I can draw too."

Trisha glared at him, "What? You? Draw? Really?"

Jericho raised one brow, "Yeah."

Trisha sneered, "Yeah right, you're just saying that."

"No really," Jericho grinned. "Only . . . it's been a while since the last time I drew . . ."

Trisha flattened her eyes, "Oh yeah? What did you use to draw?"

Jericho suddenly frowned, then looked away, "Um . . . Fay . . ."

Question marks popped around Trisha's head, "Fay? What's a fay?"

"It's not a what," Jericho murmured.

Trisha batted her eyes, "Oh? . . . Then who's Fay?"

Jericho huffed, "She was someone I knew . . . a long time ago . . ." He looked at the door.

Trisha's eyes loosened, and she bowed her head, "Oh . . . What happened to her?"

Jericho grumbled, "Let's just say that we're separated from each other for the rest of our lives."

Trisha gasped, "That's terrible! What, did she dump you?"

Jericho's eyes widened, "Um . . . I guess you could say that . . ."

"How sad!" Trisha said. "I wish there was something I could do . . ."

Jericho sighed, "It's alright, I'll get over it sooner or later . . ."

Trisha glanced at him, speechless. She then changed the subject, "So . . . You say you can draw huh?" Jericho nodded sadly. Trisha handed him her sketch pad, along with a clean art pencil, "Would you care to show me?" Jericho gazed at Trisha's hand holding the pencil. Trisha frowned, "You know, you don't have to draw if you feel miserable."

"I'll do it," Jericho said. He gripped Trisha's hand. They both looked into each other's eyes. Trisha then withdrew her hand, her cheeks turning pink. Jericho made a tiny grin, flipping the sketchbook onto a clean new sheet of paper.

Trisha rubbed her hand, then looked up at Jericho, trying to hide her smile, "It' great that you're gonna draw. I'd like to see your effort on this."

Jericho twisted his head, his eyes narrowing, "What, you think I have no drawing skills?"

Trisha jumped from the sudden strong pitch in his voice, "Uh . . . well, I just never met a guy that could draw. All I know is me and Anna."

Jericho closed his eyes, and his voice soothed, "Things will change . . ." He then opened his eyes and stared at the blank sheet.

Trisha waited a few seconds, then said, "Well, what are you waiting for? Aren't you gonna draw?"

"Let me think . . ." Jericho said, then looked around the room. All that seemed visible were a closet, a dresser, a window with curtains, a desk next to the bed, and the bed itself that he and Trisha were sitting on. "There's nothing good in here to draw . . . except . . ." He gazed at Trisha, who was staring at him.

Trisha tilted her head, "What?"

Jericho grinned, "You wouldn't mind if I draw you would you?"

Trisha looked away, with a stutter in her voice, "M-me? I . . . I don't know . . ."

"Is there a problem?" Jericho asked, his crooked smile stretching across his muzzle.

Trisha squeezed at the blankets on her bed, "It's just that . . . I've never been used as a model before . . ."

"There's no worries," Jericho whispered. He scooted over to get some space until he felt comfortable, then lifted the sketchbook to his knee for pressure. He picked up the pencil, then looked at Trisha.

Trisha jerked alittle, "S-should I stand in a pose for you?"

"No, you can just sit there and I'll draw you," Jericho said as he peaked over the sketchbook, his mouth hidden behind.

Trisha's eyes gleamed, "I'm afraid . . . What if you make me look bad?"

Jericho shook his head, "Oh no, I'd never do that. But like I said, it's been a while since I last drew someone."

"But what if you DO mess up?" Trisha asked.

Jericho raised on brow, "You want this picture perfect?" Trisha dropped her voice, then looked down, not knowing what to say in response. "Just trust me . . ." Jericho murmured. Trisha looked up at Jericho's bright orange eyes. They looked like they were smiling, but the voice sounded serious. "If you don't feel confident in me, then I will do horrible, " he continued. "You wouldn't want that would you?" Trisha bit her lip, then slowly shook her head. Jericho sighed, "Okay, just sit there . . . Don't move . . . Think you can handle staying like that?" Trisha took a deep breath, then nodded. Jericho smiled, then began to sketch.

He started out with large circular gestures, then sketched some curves around and through the circles. He looked up at Trisha's face, scanning her long locks of hair and bangs, her perked up ears, her big brown eyes, the tiny black nose, and a thin strip cutting across her muzzle. Trisha stared at Jericho's eyes in a daze. Jericho looked back down and drew in the roundness of her eyes, with two thin irises inside, staring at him. He then added thick lashes around the eyes, then started to put in the long curves of her choppy hair. After that, the eyes were cut off by three strands that hung over the forehead. Jericho then slid to the top and drew two bent triangles, representing the ears, then drawing two smaller triangles inside for the ear holes. He then sketched the muzzle, coloring in a tiny black dot in the top center for the nose, and creating a snip of the mouth at the edge. Jericho looked up at Trisha again, checking her face. Trisha sighed deeply. Jericho's eyes slid down to her chest rising and falling. Jericho grinned, then went on to drawing.

He sketched the knit of the turtleneck covering her throat, then spread out two dips to start the shoulders. He curved around the thickness of the sweater down to where the folded part of the sleeves appeared. He outlined the fingertips and thumbs, then slid his hand back up to her chest. He was lost in thought for a moment, _"I wonder what she looks like beneath that sweater . . ." _

Trisha tilted her head, "What are you thinking about?"

Jericho sweated, " . . . Nothing . . ."

"Are you done yet?" Trisha asked.

Jericho grinned, "An artist never rushes, nor speaks when drawing, for I might lose my focus. Let me concentrate."

" . . . Sorry . . ." Trisha mumbled. Jericho slowly created a small bulge of her breasts, then slowly dragged his pencil down to her belly, cutting across to attach the two ends of the sweater. For the final time, Jericho looked at Trisha, examining everything of her, making sure he wasn't missing anything so far. Trisha's eyes became heavy, tired. Jericho drew in her wrinkled jeans close together at the edge of the bed. He didn't doodle anything in the background. He just left it blank, and sketched in part of the bedside. It was finally time to add value. But first he erased the extra markings that were no longer needed, wiping the rubber shavings carefully off the picture, trying not to smear the drawing. He then added the shades around the ears and hair. He darkened the irises in her eyes. He then shaded the sweater and jeans to create visual folds, then shaded the area of the bed where Trisha sat. After that, he smoothed the shades in with his finger. He rubbed the strands of her hair, then her cheek. He then moved down to her sweater.

"I trust you Jer . . ." Trisha suddenly murmured. Jericho looked up into Trisha's eyes. Trisha's eyes were relaxed as she waited patiently. Jericho smirked, then slowly caressed the breasts and slender part of her body on the drawing, his face suddenly blushing. He just couldn't resist.

Trisha smiled, "Why is your face suddenly red?"

Jericho jumped and moved on to smoothing the jeans, then the bed sheet. Eventually he sighed and said, "I'm done."

Trisha's eyes twinkled, "Really? . . . Let me see it . . ." Jericho handed the sketchbook, and Trisha looked down at the sketch, her eyes widening and mouth dropping.

Jericho cracked a grin, "Well, what do you think?"

Trisha gasped, "Jericho, this . . . this is not me."

Jericho's face suddenly twisted, "What do you mean? Of course it's you."

"There must be a mistake," Trisha said. "I don't look that good, you must have done something to make me look different."

Jericho shook his head, "There's no mistake . . ."

Trisha looked at Jericho and smiled, "Look, I've seen myself in the mirror and I look worse than this."

Jericho chuckled, shaking his head, "You can't believe in what you see in a mirror. It's nothing but a lie."

Trisha looked confused, "Then how can I see myself without a mirror? A reflection in the water?"

"There are ways you'll understand later," Jericho said, wiping his cheek to get rid of an itch, leaving a pencil smear on his face. Trisha covered her mouth and giggled. Jericho blinked his eyes, "Wha . . . What's so funny?"

Trisha giggled, "Your face, you have pencil markings on your face." Jericho's face suddenly went grave, and he tried to wipe off the smear with his fist. Trisha stopped him and said, "Here, I'll help you get it off." She licked her thumb, then gently rubbed it across his cheek, the smear eventually disappearing. Jericho gazed closely into Trisha's eyes, and she stared into his eyes, as if drowning into his sight. Trisha then blushed and turned away, "Um . . ." She placed the sketchbook on her desk, then smiled, "I better get going, I need to clean up the rest of the house." She got up and went to the door, "Care to help me?"

Jericho was in a daze, then stood up and bowed, "I'd be honored." Trisha shied away, her voice in giggles and cheeks rosy.

---

Sonic and friends eventually showed up later in the afternoon. Everyone was sitting around the kitchen table eating dinner that Amy had brought home from Juicy Burgers after going shopping around the mall. Trisha picked at her food. Jericho slouched, not feeling hungry for the moment. Anna looked at Jericho, then at Trisha, "So Trisha, how was your day?"

Trisha looked up, "Um . . . It was okay . . ."

"What did you do today?" Kaz asked.

Trisha smiled, "We drew."

"We?" Sonic asked.

Trisha nodded, "Yeah, that reminds me, we got ourselves another artist . . . Jericho!"

"Jericho?" everyone else gasped.

Sonic placed his elbow on the table, "I didn't know you could draw Jericho."

Jericho's face burned, "Uhhh, it's been a long time since I drew."

"I believe so," Sonic said. "May we see what you did?"

"I have it upstairs in my sketchbook!" Trisha said. "I'll go get it!" She shoved out of her chair and ran upstairs.

Sonic blinked his eyes, "Well, I've never seen Trisha this happy before. This is the most she's spoken all year."

"She's probably excited cause it's something she's interested in," Anna said, munching on her fries.

Sonic sipped on his coke, then burped, "I guess... I like it when people are happy."

Trisha came back down the stairs and sat back down. She handed the sketchbook to Sonic. "Here ya go," she gasped.

Tails and the others crowded around to see. Their eyes suddenly went huge. Sonic whistled, "Whoa Jericho, man! You got some talent!" Jericho felt alittle embarrassed. "Jeeze, we got like now . . what, three artists? I'm jealous," Sonic said.

"It's nice that we got a guy this time that can draw," Tails said.

Sonic nodded, "Sure . . ." He handed the sketchbook back to Trisha, "I'm guessing you two are getting along already I see?" Trisha and Jericho looked at each other. Trisha then turned away. Jericho still stared at Trisha. Sonic grinned, "Hmmm . . . That's good . . ."

Tails took his final bite of his burger, licked his fingers, then yawned, "Man, tired already after eating. Everybody ready for bed?"

"I guess . . ." Sonic said. They all got to their feet, threw away their wrappers, and went upstairs.

Trisha and Jericho stood by the stairway, as Trisha held onto her sketchbook. "Well Jericho, it's been nice speaking to you."

Jericho grinned, "Yeah . . ."

Trisha fidgeted with the sketchbook, "Well . . . goodnight . . ."

Jericho's eyes smiled, then bent over to her ear. "Goodnight," he whispered.

Trisha's skin suddenly tingled. Her eyes were huge, and her heart felt like it had stopped, hearing his voice so soft, silent, gentle. Trisha stuttered, "Um, uh, um . . ." Jericho straightened up and looked at her glassy eyes. Trisha froze for a second, then spoke quickly, "Goodnight!" She ran up the stairs and slammed the door. Jericho looked up, then sighed . . .

---

Trisha went across her bedside to her closet until something caught her eye at the window. She stopped, then moved closer to the window for a better look. She noticed that Jericho was walking off into the forest. She could tell it was him clearly from the red gems on his wrists and ankles illuminating in the night. He eventually disappeared into the shadows of the trees. Trisha blinked her eyes with surprise, "Where is he off to?" She stared at the darkness, then bowed her head and turned away, heading for her closet to grab her night clothes.


	3. Lightning Strike

_"Dear Journal,_

_  
"Hey this is me, Trisha, as you may know. Yesterday was great. I got to know Jericho more, and you know, I'm actually feeling something for him . . . Later in the night before I got ready for bed, I saw him run off into the forest. Wonder where he was going . . . Hope he came back, cause . . . I wanna tell him something . . . Well, I'm gonna go find him. Write to you later."_

_Trisha_

Trisha closed her journal, then shoved it inside her drawers. After that, she ran out of her bedroom . . .

---

Sonic and team ate some choco-covered doughnuts in the main room, along with some glazed ones and custard/jelly filled ones. Cream nibbled on her doughnut with delight, "Thanks for buying these doughnuts, Amy! They're delicious!"

"My pleasure," Amy squeaked. Sonic stuffed the rest of his jelly doughnut, then licked his fingers. Amy leaned in on him, "How was yours, Sonic? Was it tasteful?"

Sonic hesitated for a moment, his finger stuck in his mouth, then pulled it out and mumbled, "It was okay."

"Okay?!" Amy shrieked. "It has to be much better than just okay!"

Sonic gritted his teeth, then picked at his ear with his pinky, "Okay I'll admit . . . The cherry filly and vanilla frosting really hit the spot."

Amy bounded on him and hugged him as he tried to squirm away. "I'm glad that you enjoyed it Sonic!" Amy squealed. "I knew you'd love it!"

Sonic whimpered, pushing away from her, "Okay Amy, yeah . . . I like it . . ." His right ear suddenly perked up, hearing someone coming out from up stairs. Sonic took a glance seeing that Trisha was coming down the steps. Sonic shoved Amy away, then turned his head, "Morning Trisha, how was your sleep?"

"Where's Jericho?" Trisha asked, ignoring his question. "Have you seen him?"

Sonic itched his chin, "Huh . . . No I haven't, but I think he might be-"

Trisha rushed to the door, and went out, slamming the door behind her. Sonic blinked his eyes, "Ooookay. Guess she decided to go search for him herself . . ." 

---

Trisha walked down into the forest. _"He must be still out here if he never came back,"_ she thought. _"Hope he's alright. It's dangerous to be out here during the night."_ She stopped and looked around. There seemed to be no sign of anything except the trees, a few gliding shadow the birds cast as they soared, and the sun rays pouring down into the grass.

"Well, look who showed up," a voice suddenly answered.

Trisha twisted her head, remembering that soothing familiar voice, "Jericho?"

"Up here," the voice said.

Trisha looked up, seeing that Jericho was resting on a tree truck, munching on an apple. "Jericho! There you are!" she gasped in relief. "I've been looking all over for you . . ."

"What are you up to?" Jericho asked with a crooked smile.

"What are you doing up there?" Trisha asked him.

Jericho grinned, "I asked you first . . ."

"Oh . . ." Trisha murmured, her head bowed. She then looked up, "I was looking for you."

"Huh," Jericho said. "I never expected anyone wanting to find me . . . except one . . ." He muttered to himself when he said the last two words.

"Now what are you doing up there?" Trisha asked, shielding her eyes from the sunlight streaming through the tree branches.

Jericho bit into his apple, then looked around, "Sight Seeing."

"May I come up there with you?" Trisha asked.

Jericho chuckled, "Oh no, you'll hurt yourself when trying to get up here."

Trisha went up to the tree and started to climb, "Relax Jer, I've climbed trees before when I was younger." Jericho rolled his eyes.

After taking a few steps up the tree, Trisha slipped. Jericho acted quickly and grabbed her wrist. Trisha hung there, laughing childishly. Jericho gritted his teeth, "You're crazy . . ." He pulled her up onto the branch.

Trisha sat infront of him. She inhaled the fresh pine, "It's nice up here, great view."

Jericho looked over her shoulder and sniffed her hair, "Yeah . . ." Trisha turned away. Jericho sighed solemnly, then said, "Why did you wanna find me?"

Trisha's ears perked, and she quickly looked at him. They were nose to nose. Jericho smiled. Trisha's eyes were in surprise, and her cheeks were red, "Um . . . I wanted to tell you something . . ."

Jericho sighed and leaned back on the tree, "Is that so . . . Well, what is it?"

Trisha played with her . Jericho examined her body, noticing that she was wearing that green sweater again. Trisha glanced back at him, "Uh . . . nevermind . . ."

Jericho grunted, "You forgot?"

"No," Trisha said. "It's just that . . . I'll tell you later . . ."

"Okay," Jericho said. He then took another big chunk out of the apple, then sighed, "It's very hot outside . . . Good thing we're under the shade."

"Yeah . . ." Trisha said, rubbing her arms.

Jericho raised one brow, "You must be sweating in that thing. You gonna take it off?"

Trisha huffed, "No . . . I'm fine . . ."

"You sure?" Jericho asked. "Cause you know, you could get heat stroke from wearing that."

Trisha glared at him, "I said I was fine."

Jericho leaned farther back, "Okay."

Trisha looked down, feeling ashamed for snapping like that. Jericho cleaned the apple to the core, then dropped it, feeling refreshed, "Ah, now that was good." He crossed his arms behind his head and closed his eyes. Trisha glanced over her shoulder to look at him. Jericho peaked one eye open, and Trisha turned away. Jericho asked, "Thinking about drawing today?"

Trisha shook her head, "I'm taking a break. I drew alot during my travel."

"Bet you had fun down there huh?" Jericho grinned. Trisha nodded in agreement. Jericho turned his head to look at the world's view.

Trisha scanned the area, then looked at Jericho's boots. "Wow, look at these boots," she said. She reached forward and touched the metal horn at the toe. Jericho raised one brow, then sat up to watch her. Trisha smiled, "Man if you kicked someone, it would be painful."

Jericho chuckled, "That's what they're for . . ." Trisha narrowed her eyes in disbelief. Jericho grinned, "Just kidding, I would never do that. They're just for detail."

"Can you take them off?"

"You want me to?"

"No, just wondering if you can hook them on and off"

"Ah, well yes I can." Jericho bent forward next to Trisha, and unattached one of the metal horns.

Trisha smiled, "That's neat."

"Yeah, I like them on better though, so I never take them off," Jericho said.

Trisha looked into his eyes, and Jericho looked into hers. "Cool . . ." Trisha whispered. Jericho examined her face, then down lower, and back up. He then clipped the horn back on. After that he looked at Trisha again.

Trisha smiled, then examined his legs. They were stripped with green, and a spike protruded out at the knees. She then looked at his arms. They too were stripped with green, and a spike stuck out at each elbow. She stared at the long quills on his head, noticing that the tips looked as if they were cut up. Without a thought, Trisha picked at the tip of the metal horn on Jericho's boot, then trickled her hand up to his leg. Jericho's skin twitched from the touch of her fingers, feeling a sudden rush inside him, burning with flames. He breathed heavily, worried that the beast may come out. Trisha touched the tips of his spikes, then mumbled, "You look like you've been beaten up, with all these chops in your quills, arms, and legs." She ran her hand down his forehead, to his lips, to his white fur.

Jericho bit his lip, then grabbed her hand to stop, cause he felt like he was gonna burst, "It's just the way I look, partially from . . ." He stopped, cause he was just about to tell his secret. He wasn't quite sure if he should . . .

"What?" Trisha asked, her face very pale.

Jericho sighed deeply, " . . . Nothing . . . just my appearance."

Trisha lowered her head, then looked at his shiny eyes. Jericho looked somewhat desperate. She rubbed her palm across his forehead, "Are you okay? You look . . . dehydrated . . ."

Jericho sat silently for a moment, gritting his teeth, then said, "I'm okay . . ." Trisha didn't seem to believe him. Jericho smiled uneasily, "Really, I am . . . I just had an apple today." "Okay that's true," Trisha said silently. "But I don't want you to be sick."

Jericho blinked his eyes softly. Trisha smiled, then muttered, "Um . . . you wanna go somewhere?"

Jericho showed that smile on his face, which made Trisha melt, seeing it closer to her. "Sure," Jericho murmured. "Where would you like to go?" 

---

Trisha led Jericho to the meadow, which was far through the forest into the open air. The sky was blue as the sea, with a few clouds here and there. The grass was long with a tint of blue from the glow of the sky. The sun reached high, creating a beam of heat and light. There Trisha and Jericho stood at the top of the hill, the end cut off by a cliff. Trisha inhaled the scent of the breeze, then exhaled slowly, "Just the same . . ."

Jericho looked over at Trisha, "You know this place?"

Trisha nodded, "I always came here when I was alone." She turned to look at Jericho's eyes, "But now I'm not alone . . ."

Jericho stepped closer to her, "You were never alone, Trisha. You had Sonic and the others with you."

"Only when they weren't around I came out here," Trisha said. "Why do you ask if I knew this area?"

Jericho scanned her face, then looked out, "I come out here too."

Trisha blinked her eyes, "You do?"

Jericho grinned, "Yeah, but only at night."

"That gets me to wondering . . . Is this where you went to last night?"

Jericho glared at her, "How did you know that I went out?"

"I saw you walk out into the forest," Trisha said, smiling.

Jericho stared blankly for a moment, then nodded, "Yes . . . but sometimes I go other places too . . ."

"What other places?"

Jericho shook his head, "I'll tell you later . . ."

Trisha squinted her eyes, then looked around at the great view of the never-ending sky. "It's so beautiful today," she said.

Jericho dug into her hair, "Yeah . . ." Trisha turned around and stared at him. Jericho raised one brow, a smile suddenly appearing. Trisha eventually smiled back. Jericho's eyes then slid up, noticing something far off in the distance. There was a blanket of ugly grey and black clouds rolling in, with tiny splits of white lightning striking the air. The rumble of thunder was very faint.

"Looks like a storm's coming in," he suddenly said. Trisha blinked her eyes, then looked forward, seeing the shadowy clouds coming at a slow pace.

"It will be a while until it arrives," she said. She looked up at Jericho, who was still gazing at the darkness. She then took his hands. Jericho jerked alittle when she did that and looked at her. "Let's sit down and rest here for a moment okay Jer?" Trisha said.

Jericho shifted his eyes to the right, then mumbled with a small smile, "Okay."

Trisha giggled happily and quickly sat down, pulling Jericho down with her. She fell onto her back and lied there in the grass, with Jericho above her. One arm was over her body, and the rest of his body rested next to her. Trisha blushed, then turned away. Jericho grinned, then examined her body, from her face to her chest. _"Why couldn't she just take that sweater off?"_ he asked in thought. Trisha looked back at Jericho. Jericho immediately looked back at Trisha's face, then rolled off and lied next to her. Trisha stared into his eyes, as if in a daze. Jericho stared back, his eyes relaxed. Trisha turned her head upward, her nose pointing to the sky. Jericho still gazed at her, then looked up at the sky. He sighed deeply, then closed his eyes.

He suddenly felt something press against his furry chest. Jericho peaked and saw that Trisha placed her head on his white fluff. Trisha tilted her head to look at him. Jericho lied there stiffly. Trisha then cuddled closer to him, her head rubbing against his soft fur. "You're chest is so fluffy, like feathers," she murmured. Jericho's muscles tensened, then gradually loosened. She felt through the hair with her hand, which made Jericho's blood boil. Jericho gulped a few times.

Trisha opened her mouth and muttered, "Jericho? . . ." Jericho lied there silently, listening intently. Trisha batted her eyelids, "I . . . I think I've fallen in love with you . . ." Suddenly, it felt like lightning had struck at Jericho's heart, bursting his blood veins and shattering him inside out like fragile glass . . .

---

"WHY?!" Jericho roared in sadness. "Why have you let me go so far?!" Thunder rumbled and flashes of light struck his eyes. The wind blew at strong devilish pulls. Jericho clenched his fists to the blackened sky, "You cursed stars! I was to be left away from devotion!" Thunder growled like a wild beast. "I was supposed to not love another or make someone love me," Jericho mumbled, tears falling down, mixed into the pouring rain. "And yet you withhold my promise . . ." The wind whistled to his ears, the eerie shriek of a woman at death. Jericho clasped his ears shut and crunched inward, closing himself within his arms and legs, "You cursed stars . . . you cursed stars . . ." He repeated it over and over again in undertone mutters. His eyes were squeezed shut, and his hands were shaking.

He then opened his eyes, his orange irises aglow from the lightning strikes. He again looked at the sky, his teeth gritted, then spoke soundly, "If she is to love me, then I must fall, for I as well love her. But I don't want this monster of mine to be released." The lightning bolts illuminated the night, which gave command for nature to settle. Jericho gazed beyond the shadowy night, "When I first saw her eyes, I could feel sudden passion, my emptiness filling and darkness fading. I have not had this feeling before, not even when Fay was alive, since she showed no love for me. Trisha . . . on the other hand, reflects back to me . . ." He stood up against the showers, "Trisha . . ." He stared at the darkened night as the clouds disappeared, revealing stars across the sky.


	4. A Reality Dream

_"Dear Journal,_

_  
"Well I said it to Jericho . . . I told him that I love him, but I don't know how he took it. He looked a bit grave, and he stayed a bit longer out at the meadow. I hope he didn't get stuck in that storm, cause it was getting very close . . . Speaking of the storm, it was horrible bleh Well anyways, I'm looking forward to seeing Jericho again."_

_  
Trisha_

Trisha sighed as she doodled in a simple chibi of Jericho, drawing a heart around it. "I just can't stop thinking about him," she murmured. She then closed her journal and placed it inside the drawers. She gazed at the window. It was getting dark out. She got up and looked out the window. She suddenly saw four red gems glowing in the night, coming straight toward the house. It was Jericho, she could tell. She rushed down the stairs into the main room.

---

Sonic sprang to his feet, "Well I guess it's time we go to bed since it's getting dark out." He then noticed Trisha standing by the stairs. Sonic smiled," Hey Trish."

The front door then opened, and Jericho came in.

Sonic jumped, "God, where have you been?!"

"Sorry Sonic," Jericho said. "I had alot going on . . ."

"Hmmm, well we're going to bed," Sonic said. "I reckon you get some shut-eye too."

"Not just yet Sonic," Jericho said. He then turned to Trisha, "Trisha will you come with me please?"

Trisha blinked her eyes.

Sonic crossed his arms, "Ah I see what's going on . . . You're asking her out aren't ya . . ."

A giant sweat formed on Jericho's head.

"It's alright," Sonic said. "Just don't stay out too long. We're going to sleep. So if you come back later, don't make a single sound . . ."

Trisha came up to Jericho.

Sonic waved, "Have a nice time . . ." He then turned to the rest of the group. "Come on, let's go . . ." They all went upstairs.

Jericho and Trisha looked up at Sonic and the others going into their rooms, then at each other. "Where we going?" Trisha asked.

Jericho smiled, "The place where we were before . . ."

---

Jericho guided Trisha through the forest to the meadow. As they reached the top of the hill, there lifted the moon. It was huge, illuminating the night. Trisha gasped from the sudden beauty, "Oh my god, wow!"

Jericho grinned and took her to the edge of the hill. "Let's sit down," he whispered.

Trisha carefully sat down, and Jericho squatted beside her. They hung their feet over the cliff. Trisha swung hers about. "Jericho, this is so beautiful," she said. She looked up at the stars, "There are so many stars up here."

Jericho smiled.

"It just seems like every night, a new star would appear," Trisha said. "So many stars . . ."

Jericho looked up, "Yeah . . . there are many of them tonight . . ."

Trisha looked at him and said, "I believe that all of them are dreams and wishes, just waiting to come true." She then bowed her head, "But, none of my dreams have come yet . . . I think they're still up there . . ."

Jericho turned to look at Trisha. She seemed somewhat sad. Jericho looked down into the darkness, then back at Trisha, "What are your wishes?"

Trisha sighed, then said, "One of my dreams is to fly like a bird, to be free from all agony and stress, to feel nothing but the soothing breeze kissing upon my face . . ." She inhaled, imagining herself flying, then continued, "Another one that I wish for is to be wild, do whatever I always wanted without others in my way . . ."

Jericho blinked continuously.

Trisha smiled, "If you see a star fall, you know that a wish had come true."

Jericho revealed a surprised expression.

Trisha blushed and shook her head, "I'm sorry, these are some stupid dreams . . ."

Jericho lifted her chin, "Of course they're not stupid . . . They're your dreams . . ."

Trisha smiled, and a tear fell down her cheek. Jericho wiped it off with his finger, then dropped his hands. He thought hard for a moment, then took Trisha's hand, "Do you believe in magic?"

Trisha squinted one eye, thinking of him being silly asking her this. But yet she nodded her head, "Yes . . ."

"I want you to look at me," Jericho said soothingly.

Trisha looked at his face, until suddenly she noticed a star shoot across the sky behind his head. She jumped, shocked. Suddenly thousands of stars fell from the night. Trisha's mouth dropped, surprised by all of these stars that were falling.

Jericho smiled to her, "There's a good chance that your dreams will come true."

Trisha covered her mouth, her eyes welling up with tears.

Jericho shook his head and dried her tears, then said, "I want you to close your eyes . . ."

Trisha looked confused, because she didn't want to miss all the beauty. But she did so.

"Now I want you to clear your mind of everything . . ." Jericho whispered.

Trisha took a deep breath, then let it all out. She felt Jericho's hand squeeze hers, and pull her up.

"Don't open your eyes until I say so okay?"

Trisha nodded. She eventually felt somewhat lighter. She could feel Jericho move behind her and hold both of her hands. _"What's going on?"_ she thought to herself.

Jericho pressed his face to hers, and whispered into her ear, "Alright, open your eyes . . ."

Trisha slowly opened her eyes, then looked down. She realized that the ground was moving. Trisha screamed, suddenly afraid.

Jericho held close to her, "It's okay, I'm here . . . Don't be scared . . ."

Trisha gasped, "Oh my god . . . haha . . . Look, we're flying!"

Jericho smiled, his fingers feeling between hers. Trisha's arms were outstretched like the wings of a bird, with Jericho holding her close. Trisha laughed, "This definitely has to be a dream."

"You could say that if you want," Jericho murmured.

Trisha gazed at the stars, then down below, seeing trees of different heights. They eventually came over the city, just high enough to not be seen. Trisha smiled, "I never thought the city lights would be pretty from up here."

Jericho brushed his face to hers, "I'm happy you're enjoying this."

Trisha closed her eyes and breathed calmly, "Jericho . . ."

Jericho tightened his grip to her hands, then said, "Now, I'm gonna let go of your hand."

Trisha glared at him, "What?! What if I fall?!"

"Don't worry, I'll hold one of them . . ." Jericho said.

Trisha snapped, "What if you lose your grip?!"

Jericho came close to Trisha and tickled her skin with his breath, "Just trust me . . ."

Trisha jerked alittle, then muttered, "I trust you . . ."

Jericho release one hand and held the other, slowly and carefully. They were now side by side, gliding through the night sky. Trisha spread out her free arm, soaring like a bird. She gazed at Jericho, who was gazing at her. She was lost in his eyes, his glowing orange eyes.

Jericho eventually pulled her to him, and were now face to face. Trisha sighed deeply, his body pressed against hers. Jericho then gently turned her over, with her back towards him. He held onto her hands for a while, then slowly slid his hands off her palms to her arms, then to the sides of her ribs, then to her waist. Trisha leaned her head back to rest on his shoulder. She then turned her head to look at Jericho, and he looked at her, showing that smile on his face again. Trisha's eyelids became heavy. Jericho held her in his arms as they both lowered down to the surface.

Once his feet touched ground, Trisha nearly stumbled. He kept her close to his chest. Trisha mumbled, "I feel sleepy . . ." She closed her eyes and drifted to sleep. Jericho looked at her face, then picked her up into his arms and walked off . . .

---

Jericho eventually came up to the Sonic HQ apartment. He glared at the door, and the knob jiggled and opened freely with his powers. Jericho peaked into the room. The lights were out, so Sonic and the others were already asleep. He quietly stepped into the room, closing the door behind him with his powers. With the click of the door being shut, Trisha groaned and cuddled up into Jericho's fur. Jericho looked down at her, then silently went upstairs into her room.

He gently placed her in bed, pulling the covers from underneath her. Trisha rolled to one side. Jericho stared at Trisha for a moment, then took off her shoes so that she wouldn't be sleeping in them. He then covered her over with the blankets. Trisha tightened up in the sheets. Jericho slid her bangs to the side to take a good look at her face. He then whispered, "Goodnight Trisha . . ."

Trisha's ears twitched. Jericho grinned, then stepped out of the room, slowly closing the door . . .

---

Trisha yawned and stretched, realizing that she had fallen asleep. She found herself in bed, and it was the next morning. She was still in her sweater and jeans. Trisha rubbed her eyes and yawned again.

Just then, the door opened, and Anna came in. "Hey Trisha," she said.

Trisha waved tiredly, "Hi . . ."

"How did it go last night?" Anna asked.

Trisha smiled, "Oh Anna, I had the most wonderful time . . . But it just seemed like a dream . . . I must have fallen asleep when I closed my eyes . . ."

"What did you dream about?" Anna wondered.

Trisha looked out the window and sighed, "I dreamt that me and Jericho were flying, and he was holding me close to him, making sure I wouldn't fall." She hugged herself and closed her eyes.

Anna raised one bow, "Oh really . . . Sounds nice . . ."

"It was beautiful outside Anna, you should have seen it," Trisha said. "There were millions of stars falling from the sky, and as we flew, we could see the city lights down below."

"I'm guessing you're fond of Jericho huh," Anna chuckled.

Trisha nodded, "Yes, I even told him earlier that I love him. I think he took it well . . ."

They both fell silent for a while, then Anna said, "Well I better let you get dressed."

"Bye," Trisha mumbled.

Anna closed the door behind her.

---

"And she said that she was flying through the night with Jericho's arms wrapped around her," Anna said. "I'm really happy she has someone now that will be with her."

Sonic and Tails looked at each, then at Anna. "Uhhhh Anna, we need to tell you something," Tails said.

Anna blinked her eyes, "Is there something wrong?"

Sonic stepped forth and rubbed his neck, "Listen, about Jericho . . . There's something you need to know . . ."

"Is he alright?" Anna asked.

Sonic bit his lip, "Oh yeah, he's fine . . . It's just that . . . You see, Jericho is no ordinary hedgehog . . ."

"I know," Anna smiled. "He's very nice to Trisha, keeping her happy."

Sonic shook his head, "No Anna, you don't understand . . . Jericho . . . sigh Jericho's a half-blood hedgehog . . ."

Anna squinted, "What are you saying? You mean he's half hedgehog, half something else?"

"Yep."

Anna crossed her arms, "What's the other half?"

Sonic rubbed his face, then said, "He's half hedgehog . . . half vampire . . ."

Anna's laughed, "You gotta be joking . . ."

Sonic shook his head, "I'm serious Anna, he's half vampire."

Anna ticked her tongue, "Nice try Sonic, like I'm gonna believe that . . ."

"Anna, Sonic's not joking," Tails said.

"Yeah, we all know," Amy said. "Even Shadow knows . . ."

Shadow made a "hmph" sound and spun around with his arms crossed.

Anna snarled, "You're kidding . . ."

Everyone, except Shadow, shook their heads.

Anna snapped, "Then how do you know?!"

"Cause we're the ones who brought him here to this group," Sonic said. "The reason I wanted him to join was because he was lost, separated from the rest. I helped him, and he told us his identity. He said that he ran away from someone who was using him for evil, and he didn't want to kill anyone anymore."

Anna blinked her eyes, "I can't believe I'm hearing this . . ."

"Believe it, Anna," Sonic said.

Anna sighed, "So then, if Jericho's a half-blood hedgehog, does Trisha know about this?"

"It's best not to let her know, since it sounds like they're both growing an attachment," Sonic said.

"Oh! Well you tell me, but yet we can't tell Trisha!" Anna hissed. "That's not fair! She has the right to know more about Jericho! If we keep this a secret, we're lying to one of our own friends!"

Sonic raised his hands to calm her down, "Now Anna, I know what you mean. I want to tell her too, but we just can't take the chance . . . What if we break their relationship?"

Anna clenched her fists, "I don't wanna keep a secret from Trisha! I'm not gonna lie infront of her! You know, someday, she WILL find out the truth about him, and she's gonna wonder if we already knew about him. And if we say yes, she's not gonna think the same way towards us anymore."

Sonic bowed his head, not knowing what to say. He then looked up and patted her back, "Just don't tell her okay?"

Anna squinted one eye, giving him the death glare, then looked away. Eventually she sighed, "Fine, but if we tell her, she might take it . . . You know, I mean, maybe she won't mind him being a half-blood . . ."

"Great . . ." Sonic smiled, giving her a thumbsup, "Just keep it a secret til it's the right time to let her know, okay?"

Anna rolled her eyes, still disagreeing with the whole thing. Yet she gave it an okay . . .


	5. Touch

Sunrise soon turned to sunset, the blue sky mixed into a purple night. Jericho came in through the door, and Trisha suddenly sprang out and hugged him, "Jericho! You're finally back!"

Jericho smiled nervously, his air being squeezed right out of his lungs.

Trisha looked at his face, "Where have you been?"

Jericho looked around, then said, "Um . . . Exploring?"

"Where?" Sonic suddenly asked.

Jericho and Trisha turned to look at him. Jericho shrugged, "Somewhere . . . Just somewhere . . ."

"You guys going out again?" Sonic asked, picking at his ear. Jericho didn't say a word.

Amy squeaked, "Aww that's so cute!" A sweat drop formed on Jericho's head.

Tails swished his two tails as he itched his nose, "Well, since you two are leaving, we're gonna watch a movie."

"That's fine," Trisha said. "I'd rather much go outside anyway." She looked at Jericho when she said that. Jericho looked down at Trisha.

"Okay then, have fun," Anna said. "Enjoy your time."

Trisha nodded, and Jericho pulled her out of the house. He closed the door behind her.

"So, where we going now?" Trisha asked.

---

Like the night before, they both sat at the edge of the hill, watching the stars. Jericho looked at Trisha, then shied away. Trisha swung her feet around. Jericho looked at Trisha again, scanning her entire body. Eventually he spoke, "When do you ever not wear that sweater?"

Trisha glared at him, "Why do you wanna know?!"

Jericho shrugged, "I don't know, every single day I see you, you always wear that sweater, even when it's very hot out."

Trisha rubbed her warms, "I . . . I have my reasons . . ."

Jericho raised one brow, "What is there to hide?"

Trisha squinted at him, "You're very nosy. I told you I have my reasons for wearing this."

"Then what is it?" Jericho sneered.

Trisha jumped, then looked away, "Um . . . I can't tell you . . ."

Jericho loosened his eyes, "Why?"

Trisha rubbed her arms, "It's just that . . . you'll laugh at me . . . You'll make fun of me . . ."

Jericho shook his head, "I would never do that."

Trisha sighed, then wiped her eyes.

Jericho looked at the stars, then back at Trisha, "Could you at least tell me?"

Trisha exhaled loudly, then said, "Okay . . ."

Jericho listened intently.

Trisha turned to him and mumbled, "The reason I wear long clothes is because . . . I don't want to show my arms and legs . . ."

Jericho tilted his head, "Why? Is it bad?"

Trisha sighed, "To me it is . . . Jericho . . . I'm skinny . . ."

Jericho blinked his eyes.

Trisha sobbed, "I wore these heavy clothes ever since someone said something about me being thin. I felt extremely upset when I heard this, so now I hide my body from the rest of the world so that they won't call me skinny."

Jericho suddenly chuckled, "Is that it?"

Trisha snapped, "I knew you were gonna laugh at me."

Jericho shook his head, "It just sounds so silly of you to be hiding just because you're skinny. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that . . . Look at Sonic, he's skinny . . . Amy's skinny . . . I'm skinny . . ."

"You're not skinny," Trisha said, touching his arm. "You have muscle . . ."

Jericho bit his lip, then said, "You shouldn't let others ruin your life, Trisha. You can't let their sayings upset you. Sometimes you just have to ignore them. Don't let them cover you for who you are and what you look like. You decide what to do with your own body. It's not the others to make you do the things you don't really want to do."

He lifted her chin to take a look at her eyes. Her eyes were at gleam, with tears running down her face. Jericho smiled and wiped them off, "Don't cry, Trisha. Forget about what those guys said about you."

"But I'm scared Jericho . . ." Trisha muttered. "What . . . what if you don't like me the way I look?"

"I'd have to see to find out," Jericho said.

Trisha stared for a moment, then turned away, "I . . . I want to wear this sweater . . . I'm fine . . ."

Jericho bent over, "Okay if you want, but I'm just saying that . . . it would be better if you chose your own way, not letting others forcing you. I'm not forcing you to wear at least a t-shirt.

Trisha bowed her head, hugging herself. Jericho looked at her, then sighed and looked away. Eventually Trisha mumbled, "Alright Jericho . . . I'll show you what I look like . . ." Jericho's ears perked. He turned his head and looked at her. Trisha's face looked pale, "But I'm only doing this for you Jericho . . ."

---

Jericho pushed the curtains aside, taking a glimpse of the moon at rise. Trisha stood at a distance with her back turned to him. Her head was bowed, and she breathed vibrantly. She swallowed to get her throat moist, and she gazed at the wall. Jericho turned around to look at Trisha, and stepped forth, coming close to her from behind. He rubbed her arms covered by her sweater and mumbled, "You scared? . . ."

Trisha exhaled slowly and nodded.

Jericho touched the side of her head with his, "It's okay, Trisha, I'm here . . ."

Trisha closed her eyes, afraid. She then caught his hands and slid them down the sides of her body to the rim of her sweater. Jericho felted a bit surprised, and he held her closer to him. Trisha squeezed his fingers shut to hold onto the sweater, then helped pull the sweater up. Jericho did the rest of the way, carefully taking the sweater off from her head. He gazed at Trisha's bare skin, only being covered by a white bra. He immediately dropped the sweater to the floor and touched her arms. Trisha flinched, then spoke hoarsely, "See Jer? . . . I . . . I'm thin and I look horrible . . ."

Jericho rubbed his face against the side of her head, "I don't see anything wrong . . . You look great . . ." He buried his nose into her shoulder.

"Really?" Trisha asked in a whisper.

Jericho slowly looked up, "Yes, you shouldn't let others' thoughts get to you . . . You should go your own way . . ."

Trisha smiled, "I love you Jer . . ."

The word "love" seemed to make Jericho's muscles become tenser. He held her tighter, his head bowing over her shoulder. He nuzzled into her neck.

Trisha leaned herself back against Jericho's soft body, her head resting on his shoulder. "You're so different than all the others . . ." she murmured. "You're so nice to me, and you don't bring me down about me . . ."

Jericho tickled her skin with his warm breath, "Everybody has their own opinions you know . . . Some may think you skinny, others think you normal as the rest . . . But if you see yourself in the mirror, don't believe that you are what other people say you are . . . Remember that . . ."

Trisha raised her hand and touched his muzzle. Jericho dug his mouth into her skin, gently kissing it. He suddenly felt a growth come in his mouth. He licked his chops, realizing that his fangs had sharpened. He pressed his mouth against her shoulder, his eyes turning a bright glow like the moon. He scraped his teeth along the curve of the shoulder, leaving a white trace and he moved. He held onto her arms, then outstretched them, as if they were ready to fly. "Do you remember this pose?" Jericho whispered, feeling between her fingers.

Trisha smiled, "Yes, I do . . ."

Jericho moved her arms down and wrapped them around her waist, slowly rocking Trisha from side to side with his body. Trisha turned her head towards Jericho's face, which caught him off track from kissing her skin. He pushed her head away, and slid her hair aside. He then buried deep into her neck, his nose sensing the blood beneath the skin. He opened his mouth and was about to come for her throat, until he suddenly realized what he was doing. He shook his head and turned away, his eyes going back to the original orange color. Trisha sighed heavily, and cuddled close to Jericho's fur.

Jericho glanced at Trisha again. He examined her body, and lowered his head. He caressed the sides of her body with his hands, then slowly moved them up to the center of her bra. He felt an attachment there, keeping the clothing together. He unbuttoned the hook, and was about to slide the clothing off until Trisha gripped his hands.

"No Jericho . . ." Trisha said.

Jericho looked into her eyes, and she looked into his. Her expression was exhausted, but serious. Jericho scanned her face, then bowed his head, slowly clipping the bra back together. He nuzzled close to her face.

Trisha exhaled slowly, then whispered, "Will you please hand me my nightgown?"

Jericho froze for a moment, then slid his hands off of her and went over to her closet. He searched through the hanging clothes, "Which would you want?"

"The blue one please," Trisha said.

Jericho caught the sight of a long blue nightgown, and pulled it out. He handed the dress to her, "You thinking about wearing shorter clothes?"

Trisha took the gown, "I'll think about it in my sleep." She then looked up at Jericho, "Would you please turn around so I can dress?"

Jericho sighed, then spun around. He gazed at the window, watching the stars. He was in a daze. _"That was a close one," _he thought.

Time had passed, and Trisha finally said, "Okay, you can look now."

Jericho turned around, then smiled, seeing her as beautiful as ever with the illumination of the moon against her skin and nightgown. Trisha reflected back a smile, and threw her clothes into the hamper, along with the green sweater. Jericho came up to her and tickled her face with his fingers, "You look beautiful, Trisha."

Trisha bowed her head, feeling shy inside, "I'm not really . . . am I? . . ."

"To me you are," Jericho murmured. "Not only your looks, but for who you are makes you beautiful."

_Why couldn't he believe that? He had an image of a normal being, but the action of a beast that rested inside him, ready to emerge._

Trisha giggled, then hugged him, "Goodnight."

Jericho dug into her bangs, "Goodnight . . ."

Trisha smiled. Jericho then took her hand and lead her to her bedside. Trisha carefully sat down in bed, her legs digging in beneath the covers. Jericho helped pull the blankets over her, and he nuzzled into her hair. "Have good dreams, Trisha," he said.

Trisha's eyes gleamed in the moonlight, "You too, Jer . . ."

Jericho looked at her eyes, his face pale.

Trisha tilted her head, "You will sleep won't you?"

Jericho looked out the window, "I have things I need to do first . . ." He then looked at her, "But I promise, I will sleep . . ."

"Hope so," Trisha said. "Cause it's not healthy avoiding sleep."

Jericho frowned, then hugged Trisha. Trisha touched the spike on his forehead. Jericho grinned alittle bit, then turned around and walked out of the room. He slowly glanced over his shoulder, checking Trisha. She cuddled up in her blankets, and closed her eyes. Jericho smiled, then closed the door quietly.


	6. A Secret Place

It was morning now, and Trisha just opened her eyes. She sat up and stretched, then slipped out of bed. She moved over to her closet door. There was a mirror from the inside, and she gazed at her reflection.

_"Don't believe in what you see in a mirror,"_ Jericho's voice played through her mind. _"It's nothing but a lie."_

"Jericho..." Trisha whispered, then sighed and went to her dresser. She took off her nightgown, then pulled out some jeans. She slipped into her jeans, then buttoned them up. She then took out a bra and strapped it on. After that, she brought out a white t-shirt and looked at it. She then tightened her grip on it and pulled it over her head, bringing the rim down to her waist.

---

"Look what we have here," Sonic said, his smile stretching across his muzzle as he stared down at the mail.

Tails leaned over his chair. "What? What is it?"

Sonic lifted the card up. "We just got an invitation to the dance."

"Again?" Kaz asked.

Sonic nodded, "Yep."

Amy danced around the room with joy. "Yay! I've been waiting all year for the day to come!"

Sonic revealed an uneasy smile.

Jericho stared blankly at Sonic. "A dance?"

Sonic shrugged, "We get this every year. It's a party for all Mobians... There's food, music, you name it. It's really fun!"

"When is the dance?" Anna asked.

Sonic skimmed through the card. "Same as usual... Thursday..."

"That's in a few days," Cream squeaked.

"What's in a few days?" Trisha asked as she came into the room.

Sonic turned in his chair, "Hey Trisha, just in time. We were just talking abou-" He dropped the sentence when he noticed that Trisha was wearing a t-shirt.

Trisha sat down next to Jericho.

"Hey!" Sonic smiled. "You're wearing a t-shirt!"

Trisha looked down at herself, then up at Sonic. "Is that bad?"

"No of course not!" Sonic said. "You surprised me! You're not wearing a sweater this time... That's new..."

Trisha blushed as she rubbed her arms.

"What made you wear a t-shirt?" Cream asked.

Trisha looked at Jericho. Jericho smiled to her. Trisha smiled back, then said, "I... I was taught a lesson..."

Sonic itched his nose. "Really? Cool... Glad that you're more open now. At first, we thought something was wrong with you when you wore that sweater everyday, even when it was humid out. We were worried about you."

"Oh," Trisha said, and bowed her head.

Sonic grinned, "Well, at least you're wearing something lighter now..."

"Does that mean you're not gonna wear a sweater anymore?" Tails asked.

Trisha shrugged, "I'll probably wear it only when it's cold out."

"Good choice," Tails mumbled.

Sonic crossed his arms and leaned back. "Now, as I was saying, there's this dance that's coming up in a couple days."

Amy yelped, "Yeah! Oh my god, I need to find myself a new dress!"

"Don't worry Amy, we got plenty of time," Cream squeaked.

Amy jumped, "I know, let's go now! Before I forget! The sooner the better! There's not a moment to lose!!!"

"You go alone and get yourself a dress," Rouge said.

Amy placed her hands on her hips. "Oh no you don't... you're coming with us, whether you like it or not. You need a new dress for the dance."

"I do not need a dress," Rouge growled. "I'm happy with what I wear thank you very much."

"Come on, Rouge," Amy hissed as she pulled on Rouge's wings. "You don't wanna look bad for your man."

"Are you saying that I'm ugly in this?!"

Amy sneered, "It's just not the fashion for the dance... We're buying you a dress for the dance..."

"Hey hold on! WAIT!" Rouge yelled as she was being dragged across the room to the door. "Let go of my wing now or I'll give you a kick you'll never forget!" That was the last Sonic and the others heard from her, because she was out of the house.

Knuckles pointed and laughed, "Hahaha, she so deserves that!"

Anna, Cream, and Kaz ran to the door. "We're gonna go with Amy. Bye!"

"Have fun..." Tails said.

"We will," Cream said, and shut the door.

Sonic sighed, "Well, isn't this nice?"

"Yeah, the girls are out," Tails said.

Sonic looked at Trisha. "Well, most of them..."

Trisha bowed her head. Jericho looked at Trisha, feeling worried because of her silence.

Sonic got up and stretched his legs. "Well, I'm gonna go out for a run... Wanna join Tails?"

"Sure!" Tails jumped out of his seat and followed Sonic. They both were gone in a flash.

Shadow flattened his eyes, "Well this sucks... I'm leaving..." He went out of the house.

Knuckles got up, "I'm gonna check the Chaos Emeralds. I'll be back in a moment or so..." He was then out of the house.

Jericho and Trisha looked at each other.

"Well I guess we're the only two left," Trisha said.

Jericho rubbed her cheek. "Yeah..."

Trisha giggled.

Jericho grinned, "You busy today?"

Trisha looked around the room, then said, "I don't think so... Why?"

Jericho took her hand. "I wanna show you something... Will you come with me?"

---

Jericho held onto Trisha's hand, slowly guiding her through the unknown part of the forest.

"I've never gone this way," Trisha said.

Jericho grinned, "Well that's for not exploring far enough..."

Trisha raised one brow. "Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see," Jericho whispered.

They came to a hill where willow trees grew, their branches swaying in a bunch like mangled hair.

Jericho came to a halt before the leaves, then turned to look at Trisha. "Remember when you kept wondering why I would always go out?"

Trisha nodded, "Yes?"

Jericho grabbed a handful of the branches and froze. "Well, a couple days ago, I found this place that I think you might like... What you will see is beyond your wildest dreams."

He pulled the curtain of branches, and bright light gleamed through, as if it had been trapped for so long. Trisha shielded her eyes, then leaned forward to get a better view, her eyes blinking constantly. When her vision had cleared, she gasped. What she found of it to be was beautiful.

A spring had spread throughout the soil, with white pebbles reflecting beneath the crystal clear water. A waterfall showered calmly at the end of the spring, steams rolling up from the botton. Wild flowers of gold and white scattered around the spring, with dew drops shimmering on the leaves left from the moisture of the waterfall. Trisha stepped forth. She couldn't believe her eyes. Jericho released the branches and came up behind Trisha.

"Jericho..." Trisha murmured. "This is... beautiful... Just as beautiful as when me and Anna went down for vacation..."

Jericho rubbed her arms, "Yeah..."

Trisha pressed against Jericho chest, enjoying the feeling of his touch on her arms. "How could this be possible?" she whispered. "It just seems so..."

"I know," Jericho said as he breathed into her hair.

Trisha bowed her head. "Jericho... this is... the best place I've ever seen..."

Jericho rubbed against her head. "I'm glad that you like it... I knew you would take interest..."

Trisha stepped away from Jericho toward the spring. She knelt down and watched the ripples of the water. She could see colors of orange and white koi fish swimming around in groups. Jericho came up and sat down next to Trisha. Trisha slipped off her glove and dipped her hand in the water, the warmth of the stream rushing through her fingertips. A koi fish nipped her on the finger. Trisha drew back and giggled.

"Isn't this nice?" Jericho asked with a smile on his face.

Trisha sighed as she slipped her glove back on. "It's really warm, like a hot bath at a spa."

Jericho looked into Trisha's eyes, then looked around at the sunrays hitting the grass. Suddenly he felt a splash smack him across the face. Jericho twisted his head, wiping the water from his muzzle. Trisha laughed, her wet hand covered over her mouth. Jericho grinned then splashed some water in her face. Trisha shielded herself with one arm, squealing like a mouse. She then splashed more water at him. Jericho splashed back. They both splashed at each other until Trisha jumped up and tackled him, with both of them falling into the spring.

The koi fish scattered. Jericho landed hard on his back against the shallow part of the stream, with Trisha on top of him. She looked down into his eyes, the irises aglow with the shine of the sunlight. Jericho stared into her eyes, the sunlight outline illuminating around Trisha's body. Trisha then sprang off of him, landing in the water. Jericho sat up and looked at Trisha. Her clothes were drooped, soak and wet. Her bangs hung loosely over her eyes, and her hair was out of curves, covering over her shoulders.

Trisha giggled, "Guess we got ourselves even more wet huh?"

Jericho smiled, "You're soaked… You're clothes are drenched in water…"

"The shoes too," Trisha said as she kicked up one leg, splashing water in his face.

Jericho glared.

Trisha laughed, "Sorry about that."

Jericho grinned, then charged at her. Trisha squealed and crawled away. She dropped into the deeper part of the spring, going underwater. Jericho dived in after her. He shot through the water like a torpedo, until he captured her. Trisha looked into his eyes, her arms around his waist. Jericho held onto her arms, his feet kicking steadily. Bubbles blew out of their mouths and nostrils as they exhaled bit by bit. They could hear the rumbling of the waterfall drops hitting the water in echo.

Trisha's eyes smiled, then nuzzled her nose to his. Jericho's eyes widened with surprise. Trisha then waved her arms out and floated up to the surface for air. Jericho stayed there underwater for a moment, watching Trisha, then followed to the top.

He inhaled soundly through his mouth, then looked at Trisha. Trisha seemed to be struggling to keep her head up above water. The clothing she was wearing was getting heavier by the minute. Jericho took Trisha's hands and pulled her close to him.

"Let's get you out," he whispered.

Trisha looked at him with weary eyes, and she nodded. He wrapped one arm around her waist as he used the other one to paddle across the spring to the waterfall. He eventually could feel the ground below, and he climbed up. He carefully pulled Trisha to her feet. Her clothes were completely soaked, you could practically see through her white t-shirt.

Jericho stepped back into the showers, with Trisha following him. He then spun her around, with her back against his chest. Trisha lowered her head, letting the waterfall run down her skin. Jericho caressed her arms, his head resting on her shoulder. He breathed deeply, filling the scent in his lungs.

Trisha rubbed his cheek, then said softly, "I love you Jericho..."

Jericho buried into her neck, happy that he was being loved. And he was showing his love to her. He had never had such strong feeling before in his life, ever since he first laid eyes on Fay. He hugged Trisha close to him, his nose tickling her hair.

Trisha giggled, "Stop it Jer, that's ticklish..."

Jericho wrapped his arms around her waist, his head against the side of her face. He then let go and took her hand, leading her away from the waterfall. They walked over to the side of the spring, then dropped down into the field of flowers. They both sat in the grass, letting the rays heat them up. Jericho then looked over at Trisha. He had found out that Trisha was already looking at him.

Trisha smiled, "Thanks for bringing me here... This was like... one of the best times that I've had..."

Jericho grinned, "That's what I'm here for... to keep you happy..."

Trisha blushed, "You don't have to do everything for me."

She then noticed something on his arm. There was a slight trickle of red running down to the spike on his elbow. "Jericho, you're bleeding," she gasped.

Jericho tilted his head. "Huh?"

Trisha pointed, "Your arm's been cut!"

Jericho rolled his arm to take a look. There _was_ a cut on his arm. "Oh I must have gotten that when we fell in," he said at ease as if it was no big deal.

Trisha covered her mouth. "I'm sorry, I hurt you."

Jericho shrugged, "I'm okay, it's just a scratch. It's not your fault."

Trisha shook her head in shame.

Jericho lifted her chin. "It's alright, I'll be fine... It's not like I'm gonna die or anything..."

"I know," Trisha mumbled. "But _I_ did this to you..."

"Don't feel sorry," Jericho said. "You shouldn't blame yourself... I'll be alright."

Trisha pulled into a tiny smile.

Jericho let go of her chin. "I wanna give you something..."

Trisha's ears perked. "Really?"

"Yeah," Jericho said. There came that crooked smile again.

Trisha almost felt like she melted away into water.

Jericho rubbed his hands together. "Do you believe in magic?"

Trisha raised one brow. "You've asked me this before..."

"Well do you?"

"Of course Jericho!"

"Okay, watch." He took off his gloves. He swiped up a finger of his blood from the wound, then placed it on his palm.

Trisha leaned back, "What are you doing?"

Jericho smiled, "You'll see." He then picked off a petal from a white wild flower, and placed it in the hand that had the blood. After that, he caught a few drops of water from his skin, and dribbled it into the palm. He clasped his hands together and blew into it.

Trisha squinted, trying to understand what he was doing.

Jericho then swished his hand quicker than the eye, and a red rose appeared in his hand.

Trisha fell back with surprise. "WHOA!"

Jericho held it close to his nose and sniffed it. "Smells just how a rose would..."

Trisha's mouth trembled, "H-how... did you... do that?"

Jericho slid his eyes to her. "With magic..." He then gave the rose to her, that smile stretching across his face.

Trisha carefully took the rose. She noticed there were a few dew drops glistening on the red petals and thorns. Trisha breathed in the scent through her nose and sighed. "Thank you…"

Jericho grinned, putting his gloves back on, then leaned back. He watched her feel through the rose's soft tissues of the petals.

"You're full of mysteries Jericho," Trisha said, smiling at him.

Jericho looked away, scanning the view of trees that surrounded the mysterious place. He then cleared his throat and looked at Trisha. "You know... about that dance that Sonic mentioned..."

"Yeah?"

Jericho rubbed the back of his neck. "I was wondering... would you... if you want to... come to the dance with me?"

Trisha lowered her rose, her eyes big. "Uh, well um..."

Jericho frowned, "It's alright if you say no... I can take that..."

Trisha twirled the rose around between her fingers. "Well, the thing is... I've never been asked to the dance before, and I've never gone there..."

Jericho glared, "What? What about the other times? Sonic said it happens every year."

Trisha nodded, "Yes, but I never went to the dance... "

"Why?"

Trisha sighed, "It's because... I had no one to dance with... Anna and the others told me that I could still come to have food and listen to music. But I said 'What's the point of going there if you're not there to dance, but to just sit around and watch other people dance right before your eyes while you just stick out like a thumbtack?'... You know what I mean Jericho?"

Jericho bowed his head, then looked up. "The point of having a dance is to be with your friends and have fun... You just think of it as just a dance, while it's not."

Trisha lowered her head. "I'm sorry Jericho..."

"Does that mean that you're not going?"

Trisha's face glowed. "Of course not! Jericho... you asked me, and I'd love to go with you!"

Jericho smiled, "Well in that case, you probably need to find a dress for it."

Trisha shook her head. "I've never worn a dress before..."

Jericho's eyes widened. "Never?"

Trisha shrugged, "Well maybe when I was a little girl... But I'm grown now, and to tell you the truth... I don't really like dresses..."

Jericho looked away, then back at Trisha. "Couldn't you just wear a dress just for that night?... That's all..."

Trisha thought for a moment, then nodded. "I guess I'll try that."

Jericho rubbed her chin. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too," Trisha said, although she sounded a bit worried in tone.

Jericho got to his feet, his skin almost dry. "We better go."

Trisha outstretched her free hand, the other one holding the rose, and Jericho helped pull her up. Jericho held her close as they both walked up to the willow trees, then brushed through the leaves. They mazed through the forest until they were out in the open air.

Jericho came to a stop, tightening his grip around her arm. "I gotta go somewhere..."

Trisha turned around and stared at him. "Why? Where are you going?"

"… Somewhere…"

Trisha sniffled, "You're gonna leave?"

Jericho nodded his head.

Trisha smiled, "Can I come along with you?"

Jericho shook his head. "Not this time, Trisha. There's some business I need to face alone..."

"Do you need any help?"

"Trisha!"

Trisha sighed, "I'm sorry, I just don't wanna be left alone again."

Jericho wiped the water from her cheek. "I'll be back. It won't be long."

Trisha's eyes puffed, and she hugged him.

Jericho rubbed her back. "You have to be so sensitive don't you..."

Trisha gazed at his face and smiled sadly. Jericho shook his head. Trisha sobbed, "You'll be back in a minute right?"

Jericho sighed, "It won't be that soon..."

Trisha bowed her head. "Then how long?"

Jericho looked out into the distance. "I don't know..."

Trisha slumped, "Well... goodbye..."

Jericho rubbed her chin. "Hey, cheer up." He then took her rose and kissed it in the center.

Trisha watched with such interest, seeing him kiss the rose so gently.

_I wonder what it feels like against the lips..._

Jericho then smiled and handed it back to her. "You'll be alright, I'm sure that Sonic and the others will be back before you get home."

Trisha nodded slowly.

Jericho murmured, "That way you won't be alone while I'm gone."

Trisha hugged Jericho. "Please don't go!"

Jericho smiled uneasily, "You're making this harder for me Trisha... I have to go..."

Trisha eventually released him, her arms sliding off his waist. Jericho squeezed Trisha's arms, then let go and turned away. "Goodbye..." he said soothingly, then walked away.

Trisha raised her hand, trying to say 'stop' but no words could come out. She just watched Jericho disappear back into the forest.


	7. Strange Magic

"Wow Amy, that's... pretty..." Sonic said, clearing his throat.

Amy twirled around, holding her sparkling red dress against her. "You think so?"

"No, it's ugly," Shadow growled. "Just like your face..."

Rouge glared at him, "SHADOW!"

"And Eggman's ass too," Shadow hissed.

Tails snorted in laughter.

Amy stood right over Shadow and held up her hammer, flames scorching in her eyes. "What did you just say?!"

Shadow showed no expression. He just closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "You heard me, it's ugly like your face and Eggman's a-"

Amy slammed her hammer right down on Shadow's face, smashing him like a pancake. The couch tipped over to the side where Amy hit. Rouge, Kaz, and Tails nearly lost balance and jumped off the couch. Fire spat out of Amy's nostrils.

A sweat drop appeared on Sonic's face, his mouth twitching. "Uhhh, okay Amy, I think you taught him something..."

Amy lifted her hammer, then spun around and walked away with her nose in the air.

Shadow twitched like a bug, then got back in his form, rubbing his head. "You bitch," he mumbled.

Sonic and the others' jaws dropped, their eyes turning white, because they knew what was coming.

Amy zoomed right back to Shadow and was about to whack him silly. "**YOU TAKE BACK WHAT YOU SAID!**" she roared.

Shadow cowered.

Amy nearly dropped her hammer right on him until Trisha came in through the door.

Everyone froze in the pose they were in, with Amy standing right up over Shadow, and Shadow shielding himself.

Trisha blinked, "Uhhh, what's going on?"

Sonic and others looked at each others' expressions. They all then scrambled to the couches. "Uh nothing, Trisha," Sonic smiled. "We were just...Uhhhh..."

"Um, talking," Tails finished.

Sonic nodded in agreement, "Uh yeah, talking..."

Shadow continued to rub his bruised head, and made a 'hmph' noise in his throat.

Trisha bowed her head. "Oh..."

"So how did you and Jericho go?" Cream asked.

Sonic itched his head. "Speaking of Jericho, where is he?"

Trisha shook her head in silence, and dragged herself upstairs to her room.

Sonic and the others stared for a moment, then Knuckles grumbled, "What's with her?".

Anna bit her lip, then sighed, "Looks like it's time for me to have a friend to friend talk with her..." She got up and went to the stairs.

Sonic waved. "You do that, Anna..."

Anna walked up the stairs and went to Trisha's room. As she got there, she noticed that Trisha was sitting in bed, her head lowered. Anna smiled, "Hey Trisha... Just wanting to tal-"

Trisha looked up, her eyes red and in tears.

Anna squinted, "Trisha, you're crying..." She rushed over to Trisha and sat down next to her. "What happened?"

Trisha hicked, "I, I don't know... Jericho's hiding something from me... We went out for a little while, and then Jericho said that he needed to go somewhere, and he didn't even tell me where and why..."

Anna bit her lip, keeping what she wanted to say quiet. She then said, "Jericho probably has something on his mind right now, and he needs space. Sonic told me that he usually goes out somewhere to have some time alone. He's like that I guess, so you just gotta get used to it."

Trisha wiped her eyes dry and sniffled, "Maybe... But I have a feeling something's wrong... Something's bothering him badly..."

Anna looked at the door, then at Trisha. "Well, I... I'm sure that he'll come back soon, like always... and then maybe you two could discuss about this. Tell him how you feel when he's gone or something."

"I already miss him," Trisha sighed."

Anna hugged her, "It won't be long, I'm sure."

Trisha eventually smiled, "I'll wait for him until he shows up. I'll be so happy when I see him."

Anna nodded, then noticed something red in Trisha's hands. It was a rose with dew drops on it. "Hey, where did you get that?!"

Trisha looked down at her rose. "Oh this? Jericho gave it to me."

"Awww, that's so sweet," Anna said.

Trisha blushed, then placed it into a vase that rested by her bedside. Suddenly, they heard a loud bang coming from downstairs. Anna and Trisha looked at the doorway. "Uh oh," Anna whispered.

"What was that?" Trisha asked.

They heard Amy's voice screech, "**THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR CALLING MY DRESS UGLY!**"

A sweat drop appeared on Anna's head, and she got up and ran to the door. "Uh, I better go... You wanna come back down? I think we're gonna eat soon."

Trisha shook her head. "You go ahead. I'm not hungry anyway."

Anna raised one brow. "You sure? It's nearly suppertime, and we skipped lunch."

Trisha nodded, "I'm sure."

"**Shadow, put that couch down! Amy, stop hitting Shadow with that hammer!**" Sonic's voice boomed from downstairs.

Anna smiled uneasily, "Uhhhh..."

A window shattered. "**SHADOW!**" Rouge hissed.

"**AMY!** Sonic snarled.

Anna rushed downstairs. "Later!"

Trisha chuckled…

---

Time had passed, and eventually the moon showed up. Trisha got her shoes and gloves off. She then took off her clothes, and slipped into an orange nightgown. She went into bed beneath the covers, getting herself comfortable. She looked at the illuminating window and sighed. She then looked forward, and something caught her at the corner of her eye. She turned and saw that Jericho was leaning by the doorway, his arms crossed and mouth smiling. His teeth shimmered in the moonlight. Trisha gasped, "Jericho!"

"Hey Trisha," Jericho whispered softly, and walked up to her. He sat down next to her as she straightened up, and she hugged him.

"Oh Jericho, I'm so happy to see you!" Trisha hicked.

Jericho squeezed her close. "I'm happy to see you too." He then looked at her eyes, "Told ya I'd be back."

"I missed you sooo much, Jer," Trisha sniffled.

Jericho tilted his head. "It's only been a few hours."

Trisha buried her face into his fur. "It's seemed longer..."

Jericho grinned and rubbed her head to cheer her up. "Well I'm here now, there's no need to cry..." The calmness of his voice seemed to make Trisha cry even more, and she clenched his chest. Jericho rubbed her back.

Trisha then leaned back to look at his face. He looked somewhat worried based on his expression. Trisha squinted, "What's wrong?"

Jericho's ears flattened. "Um... There's something I wanna tell you..."

"I also have something to say," Trisha mumbled.

Jericho's eyes went alert. "What do you wanna tell me?"

Trisha shied, then said quietly, "You know, you're the first guy I ever liked... You are much different than the other guys..."

Jericho's eyes glowed a brilliant orange, listening to her words. Trisha continued, "You have such mysterious characteristics, such personalities I can't explain..." She bowed her head, smiling.

Jericho tilted his head with curiosity.

Trisha then looked back up into his eyes, and spoke in a low hoarse voice, "Jericho I wanna give you a kiss..."

Jericho's eyes widened. "A kiss?..."

Trisha came close to his face. "Yeah..."

Jericho breathed heavily, his blood heating up.

Trisha bowed her head, "But... I'm afraid..."

Jericho tilted his head. "Afraid?"

Trisha whispered, "Yeah... I mean, what if I mess up or something?"

Jericho chuckled, "A kiss? Oh no, there's no way you can mess up a kiss... A kiss is a kiss... I guess…"

Trisha looked up. "But Jericho, I've never done this before... I saw you kiss that rose, and it made me think that you've done it before. You looked like a natural..."

Jericho stared into space, thinking back about his past. He did not remember kissing anyone before, even when Fay was around. "Actually, to tell you the truth... I've never kissed anyone before either," he eventually said.

Trisha looked confused. "What about Fay? Didn't you kiss her?"

The name "Fay" made his teeth grit. "No, I didn't," he said.

Trisha bowed her head, feeling puzzled. "Oh..."

Jericho lifted her chin and rubbed her cheek. "Let's forget about Fay. She's nothing but a memory in my mind. I won't need to think about her again since she's gone..."

Trisha seemed surprised by what Jericho had just said. "So, do you think kissing someone is different than kissing a rose?" she asked.

Jericho shrugged, "Don't know, best to find out?"

Trisha smiled, "It would be both of our first experience if we start at the same time..."

Jericho nodded in agreement. Trisha scrunched up, then loosened and stared at his eyes. Jericho stared at her eyes. They both slowly came up to each other's faces with caution. Trisha then moved up and kissed Jericho. Jericho jerked alittle, then was drowned into her kiss.

Trisha parted from him, then giggled, "I'm sorry about that... I did horribly."

Jericho opened his eyes. He wanted more, the tender kiss of her lips gentle like the rose's petals. He exhaled and said, "It was beyond what I imagined..."

Trisha was filled with disbelief. "Is that true?"

Jericho pressed his hand to her cheek and pulled her face to his, kissing ker.

After giving her a long deep kiss, Trisha slowly moved away, then asked, "Now... What was that you wanted to tell me?"

Jericho panted, then mumbled, "Forget about it..."

Trisha seemed confused. "I wanna know please..."

Jericho shook his head. "Nevermind..."

Trisha looked around for a moment, then took his hands and slipped off one of his gloves. She kissed his bare fingertips. Jericho felt like liquid and he couldn't stand it. He was feeling a sudden boiling rush in his veins, thinking it was the beast trying to break free. Jericho groaned from the burning sensation.

Trisha put his glove back on, and looked up at Jericho with begging eyes. "Please tell me..."

Those eyes, those glistening brown eyes, just made Jericho go nuts. Without any thought, he grabbed her and kissed her, only more wildly and deeply. Trisha was falling under his spell, the kiss not letting her think. Jericho slid his hands around Trisha's arms and back, then moved his head down her chin to the side of her neck, his normal straight teeth growing into large fangs. He came close to biting her when he suddenly snapped again. He quickly pushed away from her.

Trisha breathed slowly, "Are you okay, Jericho?"

Jericho turned away and hid his face. "There's nothing to be worried about..."

Trisha blinked her eyes.

Jericho sighed and groaned, "I'm too dangerous to be around you..."

Trisha jumped, shocked by what he said. Jericho got up to leave, but Trisha kept hold of his hand. "Don't go Jericho!" she cried out. "I'm lonely when you're not around, and I want you to be with me."

Jericho kept his eyes away from Trisha. He felt frightened of himself, needing to leave to protect her. But yet he stayed. He just couldn't resist her.

"Why don't you look at me, Jer?" Trisha said.

Jericho seemed a bit troubled, yet he did so. His eyes were a shimmery silver with red streaks as he turned to look at her. Trisha felt like drifting off into a dream. Jericho's eyes eventually turned back a normal orange after he calmed down.

Trisha then asked, "What did you wanna tell me?"

Jericho crouched down next to her. He was speechless. There had to be a way to get her mind off this, so he changed the subject by asking her, "Do you still believe in magic?"

Trisha cried out, "Do you always have to ask? Of course I do!"

Jericho felt around her fingers, then whispered to her, "Didn't you once say that you wanted to be wild and free, do whatever you wanted without others in the way?"

Trisha slowly nodded yes.

Jericho's body stiffened, his muscles tense. He thought hard for a long time, then eventually said, "This won't take long... You might feel a little pain..."

Trisha tilted her head. "I... I don't understand..."

Jericho rubbed his head against hers, kissing her from cheek to her neck. He stared at it for a while. He hissed to himself, _"Okay Jericho, control the beast... It's just a bite... Don't drink, no taste of her blood, just a bite... As long as I don't take her blood, she won't become one like me, just some of my abilities for a temporary moment... This is for her, Jericho..."_ He took a deep breath, then bit her carefully. He quickly pulled away before taking a taste of her blood. The sense though drove him crazy. Yet he fought against the monster inside him.

Trisha moaned in pain. Jericho caressed her cheek. Trisha gasped, "What... What just happened? What did you do that for?"

Jericho just smiled, then murmured, "You'll soon find out..."

Trisha squinted her eyes.

Jericho cupped her face, looking straight into her eyes. "Come with me into the night... Let's have some fun..."

---

Jericho and Trisha ran off into the forest, until Trisha came to a halt. "Wait Jer..."

Jericho glanced over his shoulder. "What is it?"

Trisha stared into the deep woods, and she shivered. "I... I'm scared..."

Jericho turned around and held Trisha close. "Come on, Trisha... We've been in the forest at night before..."

"Not when it was this dark," Trisha snapped. "We only went out when the sun was going down."

Jericho looked puzzled.

Trisha stuttered, "I mean, what if there's something out there?"

Jericho shook his head. "I'm sure that no one will get you... If someone tries to harm you, I'll be here to protect you." He hugged her.

Trisha sighed, "Alright Jericho, if you say so."

Jericho pushed her away to look at her face. She looked terrified. Jericho pressed his forehead against hers. "Don't be scared, Trisha... I'm here with you always..." That really killed him when he said that.

Trisha's eyes gleamed in the moonlight. "Okay..."

Jericho smiled.

Trisha stared blankly, then suddenly felt a swirling feeling inside her, as if something was changing. "I feel weird..." she mumbled.

Jericho rubbed against her head. "That's normal... It's part of the magic..."

Trisha smiled, then kissed him. Jericho jerked with surprise. He was about to go for a deeper kiss until Trisha parted and took off into the forest. She ran in her bare feet. "Try and catch me if you can, Jericho!"

Jericho raised one brow and smiled, then rushed after her. They both ran through the woods, laughing. They both eventually vanished into the shadows, and suddenly you could hear pads drumming across the ground, and distant barks coming from the darkness.

Out of the woods, a tan-colored wolf sprang out, along with a black and green wolf. The black wolf pounced on the other in a playful manner. The tan wolf yelped, then stumbled to her feet. She froze and stared at the black wolf.

_"Whoa!"_ her mind said. It was Trisha's voice. _"Jericho, you're a..."_

_"Wolf?"_ Jericho's mind came out of the black wolf.

_"Yeah..."_

Jericho came up to Trisha, then pushed her to the side to turn her around. His body was a bit larger than hers, and muscles bulged out of his legs. A green stripe streaked from his nose back between his ears to the end of his body. A snip stuck out above his snout. Green strips went down the sides of his legs to his paws, with sharp claws protruding from his toes. He also had white fur on his chest. Trisha was just peach, with a lighter cream on the bottom part of her face, around her eyes, and on her belly. White hairs grew out of her tiny pointed ears.

Trisha turned around and saw a puddle, a tiny pond to be exact. She looked down at her reflection, and her expression seemed surprised. _"I... I'm a wolf too."_

Jericho sat beside her, looking down at her reflection.

Trisha shook her small head. _"This can't be possible... I must be dreaming..."_

Jericho rubbed against her. _"__Your wish came true Trisha."_

Trisha looked at him. _"But how can it be if it's not real?"_

Jericho's eyes smiled. _"You just gotta believe..."_

Trisha looked back down at her reflection, then looked back up. _"I just realized... Our mouths aren't moving when we're talking... How are we talking to each other?"_

Jericho licked her face. _"We're licking through each other's mind..."_

Trisha glared at him. _"But what if you read something that I don't want you to know?"_

Jericho's mouth went into a smile. _"I wouldn't do that... Besides, that couldn't happen. What we wanna say is what we read, other thoughts are left behind..."_

_"I hope so, because I don't want you nosing into my personal space."_

Jericho swished his tail. _"No need to worry..."_

Trisha walked around Jericho. _"This is so cool!"_ she said, wandering around.

Jericho stood his ground, looking beyond the pond. _"Glad you like it... Now you can do whatever you want, with no one in th-"_ He yelped, feeling a tug coming from behind. He looked back and glared, noticing that Trisha had pulled on his tail.

Trisha's eyes smiled as she wagged her tail. _"I always wanted to do that if I was ever a dog. It seems like fun!"_

Jericho squinted one eye, revealing a crooked smile. _"So, you like pulling tails huh?"_

Trisha suddenly frowned, and took off. Jericho kicked the dirt as he ran, rushing after her. He then turned and went a different way. Trisha looked back as she scampered, noticing that Jericho was gone. Her mind panted, _"I... I think I lost him..."_ She then focused on running where she was going, until Jericho appeared in front of her. She slid, trying to turn the other way. She screeched in her thoughts, and laughed.

Jericho pounced and grabbed her tail with his jaws. Trisha yelped, then spun around to grab his tail. They went around in a circle, chasing each other's tail. Jericho then jumped on Trisha and they both rolled across the ground until it came to a stop, with Jericho on top of her. He tugged gently on her ear. Trisha nipped his face. They both stopped and looked at each others' eyes. Jericho then moved off of her and sat up. Trisha got to her feet and sat across from him.

She then cuddled up to his white chest. _"Oh Jericho, this is one of the best..."_

Jericho squeezed his eyes shut, pressing his head against hers. _"It's the least I can do to make you happy."_

Trisha licked his face multiple times. _"You're spoiling me Jer..."_

Jericho licked her snout. _"It's my way of showing my love to you..."_

Trisha looked into his orange eyes, then dug into his chest, _"Oh Jericho, I love you sooo much. Why couldn't I do something special for you?"_

Jericho hugged her with his head. _"I already have what I want..."_

Trisha sighed, her skin quivering, _"Time is going so fast, I don't want this night to end..."_

In the inside, she was crying.

Jericho huffed, _"I know, Trisha... I know..."_

They both kept close to each other for a while, then Trisha's mind spoke hoarsely, _"I'm so tired..."_

Jericho nuzzled close to her, then went over beside Trisha. Trisha plopped down into the dirt. Jericho laid down next to her, moving close to her body. Trisha yawned, her eyes getting droopy. Jericho pressed against her face, then carefully pushed her head down onto his chest. _"Rest your head,"_ he whispered.

Trisha cuddled up to his fur, then closed her eyes. Jericho watched her for a brief moment, then laid his head on Trisha's shoulders and closed his eyes. _"Sleep now, Trisha... Have good rest..."_


	8. No More Magic

Anna slipped into her clothes and shoes, then moved over to Trisha's door. She knocked gently. "Trisha, you awake?" There came no answer. Anna knocked again, then carefully opened the door. "Trisha?"

As she stepped into the room, it seemed empty. There was no sign of Trisha anywhere. She wasn't in bed, nor at the closet door getting her clothes set. All Anna could find were Trisha's gloves lying on her dresser, and her shoes propped by her bedside. She figured that Trisha was still in her nightgown, but where?

---

Sonic groaned, looking out the window. "Some heavy clouds are rolling in..." The sky was turning from a slate grey to a charcoal black. Sonic looked away from the window, disgusted by the weather. His eyes narrowed as he folded his arms. "This sucks..."

Amy waved her hand in a girly fashion. "Don't worry, Sonniku, it'll pass."

Sonic rolled his eyes, then flopped down on the couch. "There's nothing to do except sit..." He then looked over at Shadow, who sat at the far end of the couch with his head turned. Sonic smiled. "Unless..." He slowly crept up next to Shadow, then poked his face. Sonic's face glowed with joy as he continued to poke Shadow.

Shadow's red eyes suddenly met Sonic's green eyes, giving him the death glare. "What the hell are you doing?"

Sonic cracked a grin. "I'm poking you."

Shadow hissed. "WHY?!"

Sonic closed his eyes and sneered. "I have nothing else to do, so I 'm poking you." His mouth curled into a cat-like double-u, his green eyes shining like emeralds filled with power.

Shadow kicked him away with his hover shoes, and Sonic crashed into a table. **"Stay away from me, you freak!" **

Tails and the others stared blankly. Sonic grumbled, rubbing his head from the crash.

Shadow stood up and pointed at him. "If you lay one more finger of yours on me, I will rip your hands off and hang them up as my souvenirs!"

Sonic gulped, his eyes turning to Xs as his mouth fell down to a frown.

Shadow crossed his arms and turned away. "Hopefully that makes you not do that again..."

"Sonic!" Anna's voice cried out from upstairs as she came stumbling down.

Sonic jumped with surprise. "What's up Anna?"

Anna huffed. "Sonic..." She straightened her back, took a deep breath, then said, "Trisha's not upstairs in her room... I found that her gloves and sneakers were left behind!"

Sonic sighed. "Huh, that's weird..."

"Yeah I know…"

Kaz pushed into the conversation, "Maybe she's with Jericho."

"Yeah, but where exactly could they be?" Amy asked.

Thunder suddenly rolled, cutting off their discussion. Sonic glanced at the window. Anna switched her eyes from Sonic to the window. "Are you saying that they're out there somewhere in the middle of **THAT **storm?!"

"Perhaps," Sonic growled.

Kaz gazed at the raindrops pelting against the glass. "Hope Trisha and Jericho make it back here okay."

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Sonic said.

Another thunder rumbled, shaking the entire house. Everyone, except Shadow and Sonic, shuddered.

---

Crickets chirped soundly, giving Jericho and Trisha a mesmerizing melody of sleep. A wet drop suddenly hit Jericho's nose. He twitched his nose a few times, then wrapped tighter around Trisha. A few more drops landed on his eyes, which eventually got him to wake up. Jericho yawned, his pearly white fangs aglow in the mist. He wiped his eye where the wetness got him, then gazed down tiredly on Trisha. She was still asleep, cuddled up nearly into a ball. Jericho scanned her body and grinned. A couple raindrops hit on his head, snapping him out of his dream mode. Jericho rubbed his head as he looked up. In the breaks of the leaves above, the sky was shadowy black, giving the forest view a ghastly appearance. A tiny roll of thunder rumbled, and rain showered out of the clouds. Jericho flattened his ears, despising the coldness of water.

Trisha groaned, her mind coming back to reality. She opened her eyes a bit. "Je... Jericho..."

Jericho turned, hearing her voice call his name. He rolled onto his knees, then scooped Trisha up into his arms. "It's okay Trisha. I'll get you to shelter."

Trisha was half asleep, not knowing what was going on. Jericho's jewels on his wrists and boots illuminated, as darkness thickened. He slowly got to his feet, then searched around for a place to hide from the storm. He stepped through the mushy puddles, looking for somewhere to shelter. He then spotted an old hollow tree. Jericho sighed, relieved. He gripped Trisha tighter, her body becoming more heavy from the rain. He hurried over to the dead tree, then crouched down, crawling inside.

He sat on his bottom, with Trisha close to his body. Her gown was drenched from the showers. Trisha rubbed her eyes, trying to get them on focus. "What's going on?..."

Lightning crackled, sending in a loud sound wave of thunder. Trisha's eyes were wide now, and she cowered close to Jericho's patch of white fur. Jericho wrapped his arms around her, keeping her protected. Trisha whimpered, "Wha... Where am I?"

"You woke up when the storm started," Jericho said. "You'll be okay now. We're in a tree where we can stay dry."

Trisha opened her eyes, then looked out at the rotted opening of the tree. She could see shimmers of rain pouring down, creating pools of mud. Lightning flashed in her eyes, and she held Jericho tighter, nearly cutting off circulation.

Jericho smiled, rubbing her back. "You're not afraid of lightning are you?"

Trisha's voice mumbled, "No... Just surprised me..."

Jericho's eyes relaxed and he dug his face into her bangs. She smelled of dirt and water fresh from nature.

Trisha shivered, clasping herself. "I'm so cold..."

Jericho leaned back into the tree, then scooted Trisha even closer to his body, hugging her and keeping her warm. Trisha moved her arms and hugged around his waist. Jericho caressed the side of her body, and pushed away her damp bangs from her sleepy eyes.

Trisha looked up into his eyes. His orange eyes were glowing against the grim darkness, a good combination of Halloween. Trisha felt like her entire body was drowning into a trance. Her flesh tingled, feeling a sudden numbness inside. The appearance of Jericho's soft smile seemed to play in slow motion, his golden irises covering and then uncovering from his eyelids.

They both slid up close, and Trisha licked his lips, giving him a tender kiss. Jericho's muscles sighed, and he kissed along with her.

Lightning broke out with a roar of thunder. Trisha quickly parted from Jericho's lips and huddled against his chest. Jericho was stuck in a daze, wishing it hadn't had stopped. He exhaled slowly, then bent over and rested his head on hers, holding her close.

Trisha whispered, "I'm happy you're here with me..."

Jericho looked out into the darkness, watching the crystal clear showers, then nuzzled into her hair. "I'm always there for you..."

Trisha's eyelids went heavy, and she fell asleep, until another loud thunder rolled.

---

The face of the sun peaked out of the clouds, pouring out a strong ray of light. Knuckles looked straight at the brightness, then fell back and winced, covering his eyes. "Ah, the sun! It's burns!!!!" He rolled around on the carpet.

Sonic kicked him. "You Knucklehead, you're not supposed to look straight at it!"

Tails gazed out the window. "Looks like the storm stopped."

"That's a relief at least," Amy squeaked. "That storm was starting to freak me out." Cream nodded in agreement.

Sonic placed his hands on his hips. "Well this is finally my chance to go outside and run."

"I don't know, Sonic," Tails said. "The ground's extremely muddy, and you could slip."

Kaz looked out the window, suddenly noticing some shadows in the fog approaching the house. "There's someone coming," she said.

Sonic and the others leaned over to see. The shine of the sun eventually cleared the mist, and the silhouette appeared to be a black hedgehog carrying a tan hedgehog.

"It's Trisha and Jericho!" Cream squealed. "They're okay!" Amy jumped with joy.

"Let's go meet them," Tails said. He opened the door, and Jericho stepped in, holding exhausted Trisha in his arms. They were soaking and wet.

Anna hissed, "Where have you two been? Trisha, I was worried about you!"

"I'm sorry," Trisha mumbled as Jericho set her back down on earth.

"What were you two doing outside?" Sonic wondered.

Trisha blinked her eyes, not knowing what to say. Jericho revealed an uneasy smile as he rubbed his head. "Uhhhh, we were... um... taking a walk..."

"In the storm?" Amy asked, not quite understanding.

Jericho's smile disappeared, "Uhhhhhh..."

"We went outside last night, and we turned into wolves!" Trisha spoke out, stepping forth with a pose so smooth.

Sonic and the others looked at each other confusingly. Jericho's expression went dead…

"We were running and jumping and playing around in the woods!" Trisha continued. "And then later we fell asleep, and woke up this morning in a storm... Jericho brought me to an old hollow tree where we stayed to dry..."

Everyone was speechless. Sonic cleared his throat, then glared at Jericho. Jericho quickly showed a smile, then frowned.

Anna blinked a few times, then said, "Well Trisha, that's some dream..."

Trisha shook her head. "But it wasn't a dream Anna. It really happened... Didn't it Jer..." She looked over at him. Jericho's face was blank. Everyone stared at him, which made him feel even worse. "He's so mysterious," Trisha smiled. "I think I might know what he is now..."

Jericho flew away like a balloon, landing lifelessly on the floor, while everyone else sprang to their feet, their mouths dropped to the ground "WHAAAT?!"

"Yep," Trisha said. "I now know that Jericho is..."

Everyone leaned in for an answer.

"A magician!"

They all tumbled over like statues. "Ahhhhh!!!"

Sonic climbed back up and patted Trisha's hand. "Well now Trisha, you can keep that to yourself heheheh..."

Trisha's face glowed. "What? Is that really what he is?"

Sonic grinded his teeth, unable to answer the question.

Jericho zapped back to life, stumbling to get up.

Sonic sighed. "Well I guess you could say that..." He stiffly turned his head to look at Jericho. His eyes narrowed as he hissed between his teeth, "Jericho, could I have a word with you?..."

---

Sonic shoved Jericho into an empty room, locking the door behind him. He then shouted at the top of his lungs, waving his arms up and down in a quick motion, **"What do ya think you're doing?!" **

Jericho crossed his arms. "What do you think? I'm trying to impress Trisha."

Sonic gritted his teeth. "I see that, but you were this close for your true identity to be revealed! **THIS CLOSE** " He squeezed the air between two fingers.

Jericho sneered, "Relax Sonic..."

"Don't you tell me to calm down," Sonic hissed. "You nearly got her to realize what you were!"

Jericho squinted his eyes.

Sonic leaned at Jericho's face, nose-to-nose. "What else have you been doing?"

Jericho pushed his away. "Look, I have my reasons for doing these things for her. They were her dreams."

"Everybody has dreams Jericho," Sonic lowered his voice. "What? Would that mean you would grant everybody else's' wishes? You're not a genie you know."

**"I KNOW!" **Sonic nearly fell back from such roar in Jericho's tone. Jericho sighed. "I just... I just like her... alot... and I just wanna make her happy..."

Sonic put his arm over Jericho's shoulder. "Jericho Jericho Jericho, you're starting to sound like Shadow... You don't have to give her everything... I mean, she could be already happy for having you. Did she ever mention about that?"

Jericho thought back. _Yes, many times she has. _The last he heard it was when he and Trisha were inside that hollow tree. Jericho nodded slowly.

Sonic smiled. "There now... I know you and Trisha are having a close relationship, but you just gotta be careful with yourself. Just think, what would her reaction be if she found out that you were a..."

"I understand..." Jericho mumbled, his head solemnly bowed.

Sonic released Jericho, then huffed. "So... what else did you do for her besides turn into wolves?"

Jericho showed a nervous grin, then said, "Well, we flew over the city of lights."

"Yeah, I heard that from Anna. What else?"

Jericho scratched behind his head. "Well, we went to this one secret place, and I made her a rose."

"You _made _her a rose?" Sonic asked, one eyebrow raised.

Jericho tried to smile. "Yeah... using my own blood, water, and a white petal from a flower."

Sonic's expression looked disgusted. "You... _MADE _... a rose…" He walked around Jericho, bobbing his head. He then spun around, clasping his hands together. "Well, I think that's enough... No more magic..."

"What? You can't control... over... me." Jericho's voice slurred when he said that. It began to remind him of his past life.

Sonic lifted his hands. "Jericho, I'm doing this for the protection. I don't want both of your hearts becoming broken, okay. I can't stand people feeling so depressed for finding the truth..."

Jericho shook his head, getting himself back on focus.

Sonic wagged his finger in Jericho's face. "No more magic, you got that?"


	9. Emerald Nights Dance

A couple days passed, and Sonic and friends were all set for the special dance that was opening tonight in Emerald City. Amy twirled around in her sparkling pink gown. "Aren't I pretty, Sonic?"

A sweat drop formed on Sonic's head. "Uh yeah, sure... Of course..."

Amy giggled. "Oooooo I'm so glad we're going out again."

"Uh, me too, I guess." Sonic's voice vibrated.

Rouge came around, wearing a black gown with white, blue, and purple twinkling stars. She revealed a look as if she had tasted something sour in her mouth. Shadow snorted. "Wow Rouge, nice dress."

"Don't push it." Rouge grinded her teeth.

Amy's eyes shot up with fireworks. "Rouge, you look dazzling in that gown!"

"I look like a Barbie doll in this." Rouge snarled, lifting the curtain of her dress.

Amy smiled. "Which is good!" Rouge rolled her eyes. Anna appeared, wearing a long yellow dress with silver outlines around the rim and her waist. Amy's face glowed with delight. "Well now Anna, you look gorgeous!"

Anna's face twisted. "I don't think this is my kind of dress..."

"Oh nonsense, you're perfect in it." Amy said, waving her hand.

Anna muttered undertone. "It seems a bit too much for me... I'd rather wear something more of my style..."

"What about me, Amy?" Cream cried.

Amy turned to see the young rabbit dressed in a short rosy pink gown with a flower in the center. Her floppy ears were tied back in a red ribbon. Amy's eyes gleamed. "Of course Cream, you look cute!" Cream hugged herself, feeling ticklish inside. Amy noticed Kaz at the corner of her eye. "And let's not forget about Kaz." She beamed.

Kaz was wearing a black gown with blood red flows from the waist down. A strip of red went across her chest. Rouge growled in her throat. "I'd rather wear that than this piece of crap... Wanna trade with me?"

Amy's head lost air like a balloon, and she glared at Rouge. "What's wrong with your dress?"

Rouge hissed. "It's crap, that's what's wrong... I hate it."

Amy's face looked dead, but then suddenly burned fiery red, her cheeks swelled. Sonic jumped in between them. "Now rouge, she bought that for you. You should at least be thankful that she was kind enough to buy that for you."

Rouge narrowed her eyes, and then crossed her arms, curling her glossy lips. "Whatever..."

Sonic sighed, and then turned to Kaz. "So Kaz, you gonna call Bruno to see if he's coming to the dance tonight?"

"Uh huh." Kaz nodded, and then pulled out her cell phone. She dialed some numbers, and then held the phone close to her ear. A few rings sounded, until a tiny voice came on…

"Hello?"

"Hey Bruno." Kaz said joyously. "It's me Kaz."

"Oh heyya, Kaz!" Bruno's voice spoke out. "What's up?"

Kaz looked at the clock. "Well me, Sonic, and the others are heading out to the dance. You wanna come along with us again like you did before?"

"I was just about to go there." Bruno answered.

Kaz smiled. "Great! See you when we get there." She then clipped the phone back up.

"So, are we gonna go or just stand here?" Knuckles growled.

Sonic glanced at the stairway. "I'd hate to leave Trisha here alone again." Everyone was speechless for a moment. Sonic then motioned them. "Come on, let's go..." They all went out, but then Sonic came back into the house. He shouted up at the stairs. "We're going out, Trisha! We'll be back in a few hours!"

"Wait hold on..." Trisha's voice said, and she came walking out of her room in a pearly white dress. Sonic's jaw dropped, his green eyes examining her image.

Tails stepped into the house. "What's the hold up, Sonic? Aren't you coming?"

"Whoa Trisha..." Sonic mumbled. "What is this?..."

Trisha hopped over the last step and stood before him. "I'm coming with you guys."

"You're what?" Tails jumped.

"Jericho invited me." Trisha smiled.

"Oh... Right..." Tails said, rubbing the back of his head. "I would have guessed..."

"What's going on?" Anna asked, walking back into the house. The others that were ahead came back as well. Anna's eyes then widened, seeing Trisha. "Wow Trisha, you look great in that."

Trisha shrugged. "This is my first time of wearing a dress in my teen years..."

"And coming to this dance, too." Sonic said. Trisha nodded.

Amy tilted her head. "Wait, you're going to the dance?"

Sonic crossed his arms. "Yep, Jericho invited her."

Amy clasped her hands together. "Awww that's so cute!"

Trisha's cheeks blushed, and then turned back a normal color as she checked around the room. "So, where is Jericho? He wanted to see me..."

Sonic's ears perked. "Uh, Jericho?..." Trisha bobbed her head. Sonic sniffed, having a tickle in his nose, and he rubbed it with his index finger. "Oh… Well... We haven't seen him." Trisha's face went pale. Sonic ears flattened back, noticing Trisha's sudden reaction. "But he might be at the dance already, waiting for us." He answered, trying to cheer her up.

"Just like Bruno is probably right now." Kaz muttered.

Trisha gazed at the window. "Oh... I hope so..."

Amy suddenly jerked. "Wait a second... How does Jericho know where the dance is taking place?"

Sonic again itched his nose. "Oh, I gave him directions to get there."

"So he must be there." Trisha smiled.

Knuckles roared. "Okay, enough chit-chat, let's go!"

Sonic picked at his ear. "Alright, Mr. Impatient!" He then turned and went out, the rest following his move. Amy sprinted up to Sonic and gripped his hand tightly, her face glowing with delight. Sonic sighed, feeling somewhat annoyed.

The Sonic crew strolled down the sidewalk in their fancy suits and gowns, to the building of bright illuminating lights. A banner stretched over the doorway in an arch, a phrase typed in big bold green letters: EMERALD NIGHTS. As they stepped into the building, a blue fox turned around. "Kaz!" He exclaimed.

Kaz's ears perked, and she smiled. "Hello Bruno." Bruno ran over to them and hugged Kaz. "It's about time you guys got here. I was expecting you to be here before me."

Sonic sighed. "Well we would have gotten here sooner, but we were held back for a few minutes when someone finally decided to join us to the dance." He pointed back at Trisha, who was standing stiffly, her eyes wide and alert. "This is Trisha's first time being here." Sonic added.

Bruno nodded. "Well, glad you brought someone new along."

Amy sprang infront of Sonic and squealed. "Come on, Sonic! Let's dance!" She grabbed his collar and dragged him to the dance floor. The others shrugged and followed slowly behind. Anna and Trisha stood alone. Everything was quiet between them, but the music and cheers around them were wild. Trisha scanned around the area, and then mumbled. "He's not here..."

Anna looked at her, noticing that her head was bowed.

"What if he couldn't come?" Trisha sniffled.

Anna hugged Trisha. "Oh cheer up friend; I'm sure he'll be here in no time. He probably has some unfinished business to attend."

"What if he forgot?" Trisha muttered.

Anna shook her head. "I don't think he would ever forget about you." Trisha smiled a little. Anna walked her to the chairs. "Why don't you sit here and wait till he arrives, okay?"

Trisha bobbed her head. "Okay."

Anna smiled. "I'll be right at the dance floor if you need me, okay?"

Trisha looked away at the shadows. Anna patted her back, and then went off to dance with Knuckles. Trisha bent forward and rested her head on her hands. A few couples passed by, staring at her strangely. She could hear some of them mutter…

_'Oh look at how skinny she is'_

_'She must be anorexic'_

_'She doesn't belong here'_

_'Why even risk coming here if she looks like that?'_

They all had their noses stuck up and their arms hooked together as they walked off, leaving her or ignoring her as if she wasn't even there. Trisha hicked, scrunching her ears to her head as her eyes filled with tears. _"I've never been called an anorexic…"_ Trisha thought to herself. _"They're all right… I shouldn't be here… It was a mistake to come... Oh Jericho, where are you?!"_

---

"There's that feeling again…" Jericho muttered as he glided through the smoky alley. It was cold and dense out, with a touch of moonlight up above. Jericho's muscles twitched, having a sense inside his bloodstream. He felt as if he was being followed, watched by something that seemed so familiar. His eyes grew more alert as he strolled across the shadows, lurking beyond the walls of the apartments. He froze again, taking a sniff of moist air through his nostrils. He gritted his teeth, feeling annoyed by someone's presence that he could not catch. "Perhaps I'm feeling things." Jericho said to himself, and he tried to shake it off.

Eventually, the sense suddenly vanished. Jericho looked up to the moon. "Why do I keep having this feeling?" He stared at the beam of light, and then growled. "I need to stop worrying so much, and head over to the dance..." He clenched his fists, holding what seemed to be a blood red cape, and then sprinted to the dance entrance, throwing the cape over his shoulders for the fashion. He clipped the gold chain around his neck together to keep the cape from slipping off, and then strode into the building.

Trisha's vision was blurred from the shed of tears dribbling out of her eyes. She hicked a few times, choked from the tightness in her throat. A shadow eventually appeared, blocking the spotlights from infront of her, and a hand reached out before her nose. "Care for a dance, Trisha?" A voice from above mumbled softly. Trisha recognized that voice, and she looked up, seeing Jericho stand before her. He had that crooked smile on his face, which suddenly turned into a frown. "Trisha, you're crying…"

Trisha bowed her head, violently wiping the water off her cheeks. Jericho sat down next to her and wrapped part of his cape around her. He hugged her closely. "Why are you crying?"

Trisha gasped, trying to swallow some air, but some ended up caught in her throat. "I... was worried about you Jer... I was beginning to lose hope! I thought you would never come!"

Jericho lowered his head in shame. "Oh... I'm sorry I was late..." His ears then perked, "But at least I arrived right?"

Trisha's swollen cheeks lifted, revealing a small smile, and tears were squeezed out from beneath her eyelids. Jericho took his cape and swiped the tears from her face. "Hey, come on, dry those tears... There's nothing to be sad about. I'm here now..." He hugged Trisha gently, rubbing his fingers through her hair spikes.

Trisha buried her face into his cape, crying out softly. "Oh Jericho, you don't know what I had to go through when you weren't here yet."

Jericho carefully pushed her away to gaze at her eyes. His face showed an expression of seriousness. "What happened?"

Trisha looked away, saddened by what she was thinking about. "Some people called me an anorexic..."

Jericho turned Trisha around to look at her again. "What?"

"They were staring at me, saying things like I shouldn't belong here, like I'm ruining their party." Trisha sobbed.

Jericho gritted his teeth. "They said that to you?" Trisha bowed her head solemnly, barely making a nod. Jericho growled undertone. "If I ever here things like that about you coming from them, I swear they'll end up with a swollen lip!"

Trisha grabbed his hands. "Jericho, no!"

"They know better than to say crap like that, especially to you." Jericho hissed. "If only I was here sooner, I'd give them a piece of my mind!"

Trisha giggled, listening to Jericho's outrage. Jericho blinked a few seconds, then shook his head. "I'm sorry..." He then lifted his head. "Trisha, remember what I said? You can't let what others say bother you." Trisha was about to speak until Jericho covered her mouth with his hand. "I know, they said something offensive towards you, but it doesn't mean it'll take you into darkness forever. Sometimes you just have to let things go... But for me, I'd give them a few knock-outs."

Trisha laughed. "I don't want to hit people. I'm not that kind of being."

Jericho sighed. "Sometimes you just gotta teach them a lesson or two not to mess with you. Sooner or later, you'll have to give them a deadly warning, because they'll keep this up if you don't tell them to stop."

"Maybe I could hire you as my bodyguard." Trisha answered.

Jericho smirked. "Perhaps…" He stared into Trisha's eyes for a moment or two silently, taking some time to see inside her. After a few minutes, he leaned in and pressed his head against Trisha's, rubbing her cheek with his thumb. His breath was moist as he spoke, his lips nearly touching hers. "Trisha, these people don't realize your true personality. All they see from you is your image of the outside, not the inside. Who you are is what counts, not your looks." He then became silent, biting his lower lip, and he released Trisha's chin and looked away, muttering to himself. "Unlike me... I have nothing, and I am nothing..."

Trisha gazed at Jericho, her eyes partially closed. "I'll always remember that of what you said."

Jericho bobbed his head, listening intently to Trisha's soft words, and he turned his head and smiled. "Yeah… Now, how about that dance?" He held out his hand to take hers. Trisha stared at his hand dumbly, and then shakily took it. Jericho squeezed it tightly, and then got up, pulling her up to her feet.

Trisha's legs were like rubber. Her crying had made her body feel weak, and she stumbled. Jericho caught her in his arms. Trisha smiled uneasily. "Sorry about that."

Jericho smirked, and moved her out to the dance floor. He hooked his fingers between hers, and whispered to her ear. "You nervous?"

Trisha looked around at the others dancing. She then answered in a stuttering voice. "Um, I-I never d-danced before..."

"Oh really?" Jericho smiled, his eyes relaxing. "It's very simple."

Trisha's eyes glazed. "You've danced before?"

Jericho chuckled. "Of course, lots of times... Where I came from, dancing was part of our culture. Somewhat of a ceremony if you call it." He then squinted his eyes, not believing in what he just said.

"So you danced with Fay once?" Trisha asked.

Jericho sighed, hearing that name again. "Yes, but only once..."

Trisha looked down at his boots, examining the sharp points of the horns. She then looked up into Jericho's eyes. "Could you teach me how to dance?"

Jericho rolled his eyes. "It's not that difficult really, in my old dancing style that is."

"I'd like to learn from your past." Trisha said, nodding.

Jericho grinned, and then tightened his grip around her fingers. "Okay, just go with the flow… Do the same steps that I do… Follow my movements..." He took his first step backwards with one foot. Trisha hesitantly took her step forward.

"Good." Jericho said. "Now, let's take this step..." He lifted his other foot and stepped back. Trisha watched, and then took her step.

"There you go." Jericho smiled. "Now let's do that again." He turned to his left and took his few steps, and Trisha slowly took hers. They eventually started to slow dance. Jericho laughed. "There, you're getting it now. Jus have to be careful not to step on any toes."

Trisha giggled. Jericho's eyes smiled. "See? Nothing to it..." Trisha's eyes smiled back.

Anna and Knuckles danced together with Sonic and Amy a few feet away. Anna turned her head and saw Trisha dancing out with Jericho. "Looks like Jericho finally showed up."

Sonic and the others looked out. Sonic then chuckled. "Good thing the whole gang's here now."

---

Jericho rested his head on Trisha's. "I see that you're wearing a dress tonight."

Trisha shied away. "Oh you just noticed?"

Jericho sighed. "No, I just never mentioned it until now. You look beautiful in it."

Trisha shut her eyes, and then gazed at Jericho. "Thanks." Jericho smiled softly. With his face up close, Trisha could actually see sparks of fire scorching in his eyes, and it somehow made her feel numb in the inside. She felt like she was gonna collapse, and so she held closer to Jericho. Jericho smiled to her, and he twirled her around him, her white gown swirling in a nice smooth flow along with his red cape.

Trisha never took her eyes off his. She felt as if their connection would be impossible to break. Jericho pulled her close to his body, and they both went spinning around, his blood red cape rippling along with her dress, into a peppermint swirl. Spotlights of blue, purple, and pink streamed from ceiling to floor, illuminating the room with a colorful pastel glow. The music was steady rock, with a smooth, sexy voice echoing from the speakers. Drums boomed in a gentle pattern, a screech of an electric guitar and charms of a keyboard following the beat.

Jericho slid his eyes to gaze at the crowd around him. A couple caught his attention. A young grey hedgehog had his hands held onto the female's hips, with her hands on his shoulders. They moved together in a slow motion, around from left to right, going along with the pound of the music. The hedgehog's head bowed, his forehead touching the girl's. They twirled around, gliding along the beat. Jericho gulped. That dancing technique was something new to him. It was not like what he had from his childhood. He seemed pretty curious about the modern dance skills. _"I wonder if I can try that…"_

He looked back at Trisha, who kept her gaze on him. Her expression was as if she was in a daze. Jericho exhaled slowly, calmed by her eyes. Trisha smiled, and then leaned her forehead against his chin, her nose inhaling close his collar. Jericho gritted his teeth, and his hands slowly and cautiously traveled down to her waist. Touching the curves of her body felt sensational on his palms. He buried his nose into her hair, pulling her closer to him. Trisha gasped, having sudden chills of nervousness shiver in her bones. Yet having his warm body against hers made her feel relaxed. She wrapped her arms around him, keeping him close to her.

Jericho licked his lower lip. He knew she was fragile, and he was always careful with her and her body. He slowly felt her hips, and then began to move them about in a steady flow, with his following along. He slipped his head to look down at her hips. This movement was consuming his untamed side. Fire spun wildly in his eyes. The feeling was unbearable yet irresistible. Was it the beast crawling beneath his skin, just on the final layer until it ripped right from his flesh? Jericho squeezed his eyes shut. What has he just gotten himself into?

Trisha looked up at Jericho, lifting her hand to his cheek. Jericho jerked a little from the touch, and he forced one hand up to grip hers. He moved the hand away and tangled his fingers between hers. His other hand still rested on her hip, as they both rocked from side to side in a smoothing flow. His breaths were short and quavering. He must keep his inside under control, somehow. Why must he be curious about new traditions? _"I'm so stupid…"_

He exhaled, and then twirled around with Trisha, trying to take his mind off the monster within. He then spun Trisha, making her back press against his chest. His arm wrapped around her belly. Trisha leaned her head back on his shoulder, her eyes closing. Jericho's eyes pierced at Trisha's throat. The glow of his irises struck a whitish color as he scanned her skin. His mouth stretched into a hideous smirk, with sharp fangs twinkling in the midst of the dim lights. He then drove his face straight at her throat, but then snapped his mouth shut, only to bury his nose into her neck. Sweat balled up on his head, rolling down the side of his face. That was a close one… He dared to look at the people around him. No one seemed to notice his unusual action. They were all too busy on dancing and focused on their mates.

Water formed at his eyes, the color turning from white to a normal Halloween orange. This was sickening him. This curse was trying to take over and destroy his one and only love. This was getting too far.

Sonic looked around as he danced with Amy, until he spotted Jericho. His eyes narrowed. Amy blinked her eyes, and then glanced over her shoulder. "What are you looking at?"

Sonic frowned. "Just checking on Jericho and Trisha, just to make sure everything's going alright."

Amy huffed, and then pressed her hand on his cheek to make him look at her. "Don't worry about them. They're on their own now. We wouldn't want to interfere."

"I know, but I'm just making sure in case anything goes wrong. You know that Jericho has problems, right? I mean, with him being… half vampire… When he was just new in our HQ, he warned us that he had an unstable beast inside him."

"I know, Sonic. But look, he doesn't seem to have any trouble right now."

Sonic growled. "Unless he's not being social."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Come on Sonic. Stop worrying. This is a party!" She giggled, and then spun Sonic around, pulling him away from the sight of Jericho and Trisha.

---

Trisha turned her head to see Jericho's resting on her shoulder. Jericho gazed at her, his eyes glazed from the tears. Trisha smiled, then turned her body to face him and held onto his arms. Jericho bowed his head, not wanting to look at her face. Trisha tilted her head. "Jericho, what's the matter?"

Jericho shook his head. "I-It's nothing…"

Trisha gripped his chin and made him look at her. "You sure?" She smiled.

Jericho bit his lip. It was hard to lie… "Y-Yes."

Trisha immediately hugged him. "Then let's continue dancing!"

Jericho grumbled, mostly to himself. "But this time, I'm not dancing in that style… I'm sticking to my own culture." He slid his hands over her arms and took her hands. He then stepped back and forth, left and right.

The DJ Master fainted his last track, and then changed discs to a crazy hip-hop remix. The lights suddenly turned a bright white, sway back and forth, creating lights to overlap and cross over. Jericho froze, startled by the change of music and lights. People around them started to scream and shout, stopping their slow dance into a wild jump, hopping up and down with their arms in the air. Jericho's eyes became alert. "What's going on?"

"The mood of the music's been changed Jer!" Trisha yelled over the squeals.

Jericho looked around, watching everyone else bound around like kangaroos. Great, another new dance move…

"I think we're supposed to dance like that now!" Trisha shouted.

Jericho glared at Trisha. _"No way am I dancing like that…"_

Trisha jumped up and down excitedly, keeping hold of his hands. "Come on Jer, let's jump! Do what they do!"

Jericho watched Trisha jump. The last dance he did nearly got his monster out of control. But yet, how could this one be harmful. All it seemed to be was jump, jump, and jump. He searched around for a few more seconds. He never wanted to look stupid and unfitting. He always wanted to be part of their lives. Jericho exhaled loudly, and finally jumped along with her.

Trisha laughed as she leapt, feeling energized by the second. Jericho smiled at her, happy that she was having fun. They both lifted their hands into the air reaching into the spotlights. They were nearly nose-to-nose as they jumped. Jericho panted as he jumped, staring directly at her mouth. He couldn't break away from the form of her full lips, curling into a sweet smile that revealed straight white teeth. He wanted to taste her lips, feel the pucker on his own lips, pressing into one like a puzzle piece. Jericho groaned heatedly, hating himself for the struggles that he's in.

_"It's just a kiss, right?"_ The voice echoed in his brain. Was this he himself who spoke, or the beast, trying to bring him into his own needs? Jericho rested one hand against his temple. He just couldn't think straight. The beliefs were hard to detect, to see if these thoughts were actually from him, not the monster. All he wanted was to be with someone he could trust, someone who could trust him, and it was Trisha. Trisha was his destiny, the friend he was looking for all along. He'll never let anyone take her away, not now, not ever.

Jericho gripped Trisha's arms, and pressed his lips to her, pushing into a quick deep kiss. Trisha yipped from the sudden motion, and she settled her bouncing when the kiss drowned her. She held onto his arms, keeping her lips on his. Jericho pulled Trisha closer and he caressed her shoulders, slowly sliding his hands on her back down her body to her waist. _"I love you, Trisha… I'll never let you get hurt… I won't allow it… Not one will come and take you away… I am your guardian…"_

Trisha grabbed his hands and lifted them up to her shoulders, wrapping his arms around her neck. As their mouths parted, Jericho licked her lips slowly. Trisha jerked, startled by his action.

The lights started to blinker, sending people into a slow motion. Jericho opened his eyes half way to look beyond Trisha, and he noticed someone in the shadows, peaking behind the wall. The lights flashed like non-stop lightning bolt. Jericho stopped licking Trisha's lips, and he squinted to get a better look. The sight of the unknown figure sent chills down his spine. The sense had come back, and it was wilder than ever; a scent of hunt and death, blood and murder. Jericho gritted his teeth, glaring at the unusual figure standing in the darkness. The lights flickered again, and after a few quick flashes, the shadow was gone. Jericho's eyes widened.

Trisha gasped a few times, and then looked up at Jericho, who was in a daze. "Jericho? What's wrong?" Jericho did not answer, for he wasn't paying attention. Trisha glanced over her shoulder. "Do you see something?"

Jericho jumped with a jolt, and then shook his head. "I... I must have been seeing things..."

Trisha gazed at Jericho. "What is it?"

Jericho rubbed his eyes. "I thought someone was watching me..."

Trisha gasped, and then whispered hoarsely. "Jericho, this could be serious! What if someone is coming after you?"

Jericho chuckled. "Now Trisha, who would wanna come after me?" He gritted his teeth when he said it.

"I don't know." Trisha said. "But still..."

"It's okay." Jericho sighed. "I think the flashes messed up my eyes, making me see things that aren't there." Trisha looked puzzled, feeling somewhat worried. Jericho rubbed his eyes again, and then laughed. "It's okay Trisha. I'm fine. Just the lights..."


	10. We're Coming For You

Sonic and friends returned home, exhausted from the crazy dance. Kaz hugged Bruno. "I'm happy that you came."

Bruno grinned. "Hope to do that again next year." Kaz nodded in agreement.

Sonic waved tiredly. "Well, see ya later Bruno..."

Bruno waved back. "Goodbye you guys!" He then went out of Sonic HQ.

Sonic yawned, and then stretched out his arms. "Well, better get some rest now."

Everyone dragged their feet upstairs and went into their rooms. Jericho followed Trisha into her room. Trisha flopped on her bed and sighed. "Ho man, what a night..." Jericho hung his cape on her closet door, and then sat down next to her, his eyes shrunk. Trisha closed her eyes. "That was the best first dance I ever had..." She peeked one eye open to look at Jericho.

Jericho shook his head. "I'm glad you had fun, Trisha."

Trisha scooted up close to Jericho, taking his hand. "Are you alright?"

Jericho turned away, hiding his nervous expression. Trisha mumbled. "Are you thinking about what you think you saw?" Jericho only responded with a long sigh. Trisha shifted her eyes from side to side, and then said. "Maybe we should tell Sonic about this, you know?"

Jericho again shook his head. "No... It just might have been my imagination... I must have been seeing things..."

Trisha squeezed his hand tighter. "Jericho..." Jericho gazed into Trisha's eyes. "It almost feels like you're not telling me something..." Jericho gritted his teeth. Trisha tilted her head. "You can tell me anything Jer, and I can help if it's a problem."

Jericho bowed his head. "I... I can't..."

Trisha's eyes glistened. "Why?"

Jericho's head swayed. "I just can't..."

Trisha leaned on Jericho's shoulder. "I understand..." Jericho glared at Trisha with confusion in his eyes. "It's your secret and you wanna keep it." Trisha said. "Many people have secrets... even I have held back something that I didn't wanna tell you..." Jericho closed his eyes. Trisha continued after taking a long breath. "But I think I'd like to tell you something now."

Jericho snapped his eyes wide open, and stared at Trisha. Trisha rubbed out the wrinkles on her bed, and then sat up straight. "A long time ago, before me and Anna joined the Sonic crew... I had a brother... His name was Greg... He was the only family I had since my parents brought us out into the outside world. He took care of me, kept me company... We met Anna later on, and well, Sonic found us... All of us... We were fighting Eggman, foiling all of his plans. Eventually, as the months passed, my brother became selfish. He wanted to be the hero, the only hero, instead of Sonic getting all the attention... So he ran away, and worked for Eggman, believing that with him, he would defeat Sonic and claim victory. But as usual, Eggman lost, and my brother was extremely upset for losing. So he dumped Eggman and disappeared. We haven't seen him since..."

Jericho blinked his eyes numerous times. Trisha shook her head. "I was thinking maybe you saw my brother or something, but I don't know..." She bowed her head, saddened by telling part of her past. Jericho sighed, not knowing what to do or say. His ears then perked, having that annoying sense inside him again.

Trisha looked up. "What's wrong?"

Jericho stared at the window, and then shook his head, getting up. "I need to go..."

Trisha quickly grabbed his hand. "Jericho, wait!" Jericho froze, looking down at Trisha. Trisha's eyes gleamed. "You'll go to sleep, won't you?" Jericho didn't wanna lie, but yet he nodded. Trisha frowned. "You sure you don't wanna stay here for the night instead of rest down there on the couch?"

Jericho looked away. "I'm sure..." Trisha looked at the hand that she held, then let go. Jericho stood there for a moment, and then said. "Goodnight Trisha..." He went over to the door.

Trisha smiled. "Goodnight Jericho, hope you have a comfortable sleep..." Jericho came to a halt for a second, and then closed the door behind him. Trisha gazed at the door, then got up, changed into her nightgown, and went to bed.

---

Jericho went through the alley, his eyes wide and alert. His fingers were clenched, and his ears flattened to his head. The sense was getting stronger and stronger. He could now tell that it smelled like wet dog. "I'm feeling it here." Jericho growled. He skimmed the walls, and then walked on. He then came to an abrupt halt, sensing something behind him in the shadows. Immediately he spun around, grabbed the unknown shadow, and slammed him against the wall. "Stop following me!" Jericho hissed.

The shadow yelped, holding his arm. "Ow, take it easy BB..." Jericho's orange irises shrunk, recognizing that high scratchy voice. He glared shockingly at the figure. The shadow appeared to be a life form, a black werewolf with thick locks of hair sticking out of his head. His fur looked drenched as if he just came out of the rain. His ears were large with white hairs protruding out of the ear holes. His muzzle was grey, same color as the snips at the ends of his eyes. A white puff of fur the shape of a heart covered his chest. His eyes were bright orange almost the same color as Jericho's. A colored scar revealed on his left eye brow.

_"YOU?!" _Jericho snarled, his teeth gritted.

The werewolf's smile shimmered in the night. "Hey there BB, long time no see..."

Jericho narrowed his eyes, gripped tighter of the werewolf's throat, and threw him across the alley. The werewolf yowled and crashed into a giant trashcan container, creating a huge dent in the metal. Jericho turned around, squeezing the air. "What the hell you doing here, Eclipse?!"

The werewolf chuckled shakily as he crawled out of the pile, his eyes squeezed shut. "Heheheh, I knew you wouldn't be happy to see me again BB." He opened his eyes, and a blue corvette came flying at him. "Aaaaaaack!" He screamed vibrantly, and retreated back into the trash. The car smashed into the can, and created a long irritating honk, until it died down. Jericho heaved angrily, glaring at the pieces of metal soaring through the air. A cough came out from beneath the smoke, and Eclipse came sliding out. He laughed annoyingly. "Heehee last time you threw something at me, it was a horse carriage."

"Get out of my sight." Jericho hissed. "Leave this place, or I'll throw a house at you!"

A sweat drop formed on Eclipse's head as he raised his hands. "Heheh, calm down Black Blood..."

"Stop calling me that!" Jericho snarled. "My name is Jericho! JERICHO!!! Nothing else understand?! Now go away!!!!"

Eclipse wiped the dirt off his matted fur, and then crossed his arms. "What's happened to you BB? You're not the same as you were..."

Jericho zoomed right infront of Eclipse, grabbed his throat, and hit him against the wall. "Why are you spying on me?!"

Eclipse mumbled. "Master brought me here..."

Jericho's eyes went big, and he released Eclipse. "What more does he want from me?! I already tried to run away from him to have freedom..."

Eclipse laughed. "Freedom?! We members are not meant to have freedom... We serve under the powers of our Master..." He took a bow, and then glanced at Jericho's eyes. "It is our duty to hunt mortal life, take mortal life, control mortal life... You... You just snapped somehow and betrayed us all, killing off our own kind, saving our meals..."

Jericho spun around, covering his face. "Shut up..."

Eclipse glided up to Jericho and whispered in his ear. "You were one of a kind Black Blood... A unique character who could make second choices, if you wanted to..."

Jericho shoved Eclipse away. "I said SHUT UP!!!" Eclipse hit the wall, then shook his head, bringing back his focus. "I've suffered enough!..." Jericho continued in an undertone. "Seeing these poor victims' lives torn apart... It's not right..."

Eclipse's face twisted. "Look what they've done to you BB... They've poisoned your mind to thinking you can be the hero. Well you're not! You're the enemy... Living beings hate you, they fear you, and want to destroy you!"

"You're wrong, I have friends out there who know me and care about me!" Jericho hissed, squeezing his eyes shut. He heard a click of Eclipse's tongue from behind, and he turned his head.

Eclipse's face was sickened. "You make me sick BB, you're betraying us more and more by being around mortals." He shook his head with disgust. "I know; I've seen you with them. Nearly made me barf seeing you and them... together! Bleh!!" He hacked a hairball. "Definitely not a good combination..."

Jericho growled in his throat. "Why have you been following me?"

Eclipse sighed. "I already told you, Master sent me here..."

Jericho turned his entire body towards him. "How did you know I was here?"

Eclipse chortled. "I didn't. Master chose me to move out and search for you... I've searched nights through active grounds and raging rivers to succeed... Until I finally found you in the least expected location: the city..."

Jericho brought Eclipse's filthy face to him. "You scum!!! Why did he want you to find me?"

Eclipse gasped. "Hack-He wanted me... to tell you... hack-that he wants you... back on the team!..." Jericho's eyes glared straight at Eclipse. Eclipse muttered. "Please don't hurt me..."

Jericho smiled coolly, and then threw him over his shoulder to the other side of the alley. "Tell him that I've quit the team years ago, and I'm never coming back!"

Eclipse howled as he flew onto the cement. He stumbled to get up until a trash bucket came falling on him. Eclipse scampered into the shadows, climbing on the brick wall with his sharp claws. He came to a stop, and hissed at Jericho. "The Master will be extremely upset once he hears about this!"

Jericho picked up a stone, and then aimed it right on Eclipse's head. "SCRAM!"

Eclipse yipped, crawled up a few more inches, and then growled. "Ohhhhh you will pay BB! _Oh yes, you will pay_ " His voice became distant as he scurried into the darkness.

Jericho gritted his teeth, his muscles tense and fists clenched. He then exhaled solemnly. _"Oh no... What have I done?..." _

---

The night grew thicker with mist of clouds hovering in the starless sky. Bats fluttered through the night as wolves howled to the moon. The wind rustled past the trees, creating an eerie yowl between the branches. Beyond the patch of dead trees rested a tiny village, down below the hill. It practically appeared lifeless with torn down barns and burnt houses. Across to the other side, sitting upon a mountain, was a white castle, splotched with darkened rust on the stone, and wild vines growing endlessly around the building. Hellish flames of light flickered through the windows.

Inside the castle was swarmed with beasts, ugly spiked creatures creeping along the walls and stairways. Some curled up, snoring loudly as their bellies rose and fell. Skeletons decorated the brick walls and floors, with dried blood stains here and there. A shadowed creature picked at his teeth with a bone chipped from a leg. As you followed the shredded red carpet on the ground, it reached to the throne, with a tall darkened figure hidden in the shadows, drumming his fingers impatiently.

Suddenly, a scratchy irritating voice cried out. "Master! _MASTER_ " The figure's head lifted, and two beady eyes shimmered in the darkness, one the color of golden yellow and the other of Halloween orange. Scrapes shrieked against the marble floor as a black werewolf scampered across, slipping and sliding past the doorway into a knight armor statue. A crash was heard, and a metal helmet rolled. Some of the beasts looked up, curious to see what had just happened.

The figure rubbed between his eyes, feeling aggravated. He spoke, his voice in a whisper. _"Why did I even bring him to the team?..." _

The werewolf stumbled out of the pile, and then hopped to the entrance. "Master!" It was Eclipse...

The figure's eyes squinted. "I see that you have returned..."

Eclipse bobbed his head. "Yes Master, and I have good news... and bad news..."

"The bad news is that you've gone more stupid." The figure growled.

Eclipse ignored the Master's comment, and took a bow. "Master... _I found him..._ "

The figure leaned in, but not forward enough to reveal his facial image. "You found... Black Blood?"

Eclipse glided in, nodding slowly. "Yes Master... _in the city..._ "

"The city…" The Master repeated in a hiss. "Well, where is he?"

Eclipse's ears drooped. "Oh uh, well Master, you won't be happy to hear this..."

"Where is he?!" The figure boomed, slamming his fists against the chair handles.

Eclipse jumped, and then whimpered. "Well, I told him that you wanted him back..."

"And?..." The Master questioned, one eye squinting.

Eclipse twisted his hands, and he groaned. "And... he didn't seem to take it well..."

"He refused?!" The figured roared.

Eclipse fell on his knees. "Yes, he told me that he quit years ago and wants to live with those pathetic mortals!"

_"Well why didn't you bring him back by force?!" _The Master hissed.

Eclipse mumbled, twiddling his thumbs. "Cause he was throwing stuff at me..."

The master rolled his eyes, muttering to himself. _"Jeez what a baby..." _He then cleared his throat, and clasped his hands together. "Well, it seems that since he's not going to come to us, we'll just have to come to him. Besides, this old castle is no longer useful to me, and the village is empty with death. These walls may be filled with memories of my needs, wants, and kills, but this kingdom seems not strong enough to me." He stood up, swirling his dark cape over his body. He hid his identity as he strode across the carpet to the entrance. "We shall abandon this place. Our new home is waiting... in that city..."

The creatures stretched out their limbs, then rushed out of the castle. Eclipse yelped, "Wait!"

The Master froze in his steps, and turned his gaze to the werewolf. "What do you want, you filthy little mongrel?!"

"Where's my reward?" Eclipse whined. "You said that if I _found _him, I would be rewarded!"

The figure sighed loudly, snapping something into his hands. "Very well you stupid mutt." He threw what appeared to be a choco-chip cookie, and Eclipse caught it in his mouth, munching hungrily on the treat. The Master curled his lips, revealing his pearly white fangs. "You're as pathetic as the mortals."

Eclipse licked his chops, cleaning every crumb around his mouth, and scurried to the Master. "There's more to what I found out at the city."

The figure growled in his throat. _"WHAT?!" _

Eclipse wagged his tail as he stood on his two legs, squeezing the air with his claws. "Well, Black Blood's got himself some mortal friends... Many of them... and one appears to be a girl, who he stands closest to almost all the time. Her name is Trisha, of what I've heard between their conversations..."

The Master glared at Eclipse angrily. He lifted a fist, ready to slam Eclipse's face. Eclipse cowered, covering his face. All of a sudden, the Master patted his head. "Very good, Eclipse..." Eclipse's ears perked, and he laughed annoyingly, his tongue hanging out. The Master smiled, his teeth twinkling in the night. "You have told me one of his weaknesses. We shall use them to force his return..."

Eclipse bobbed his head crazily. "Yes yes, Master!"

"Shut up..." The Master hissed. Eclipse dropped his head. The Master looked around, seeing the other creatures' bony faces. The master smiled devilishly. "I hear that the city is filled with living mortals, healthy and flowing with blood in their veins. We shall begin our feast once we arrive, and save our final attacks when Black Blood returns. If he yet turns away from us... he shall be punished severely..." He chuckled at the end, and the others joined in his evil laughter, as they crawled out of the castle into the shadows of the outside world.

---

The next morning as the sun brightened the world, Jericho returned home, his eyes tiny like raisins. Sonic and the others were sitting around like they usually did, chatting. "Look who came back." Sonic said with that cocky smile on his face.

Jericho didn't respond any hellos, just stood there like a mindless zombie. Trisha sprang to her feet and faced Jericho. "Where have you been? I was wondering where you were! Did you skip sleep again?"

Jericho stared blankly, and then snapped out of his inner thoughts. "Huh?"

Trisha's voice calmed. "Are you okay?"

Jericho tilted his head. "Why?"

Sonic crossed his arms. "You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

Jericho's eyes widened, thinking back about last night. Trisha gasped, and then whispered into his ear. "Did you see him?"

Jericho mumbled. "See who?"

Trisha muttered. "You know... my brother..." Jericho closed his eyes and shook his head. Sonic and the others gazed at each others' lost expressions, not understanding what they were talking about. Trisha's eyes gleamed. "Then what's wrong?"

Jericho shoved past Trisha. "Nothing, okay?!" He froze and gazed at the window.

Sonic and the others were speechless for a moment. Amy eventually squeaked. "Well, who wants to go shopping?" None of the girls said a word, but they went over to the door. Amy rushed infront. "I'm gonna be buying you a gift Sonikku!"

Sonic turned away and grumbled. "Oh brother..."

Anna looked back at Trisha. "You coming, Trisha?"

Trisha stared at Jericho. "No, I'm staying..."

Anna shrugged. "Suit yourself." The girls then went out of the house.

Sonic got to his feet. "Now that Amy is gone, I think I'll go out for a run!" He zoomed out in a flash. "Later, dudes!"

Shadow strode out. "I don't wanna be left here with these guys..."

Tails and Knuckles looked at each other. Tails rubbed his neck. "I'm gonna go check on the X-Tornado." He went out.

Knuckles rushed behind. "Hey wait, I need to check the Chaos Emeralds!" The door closed, and Trisha and Jericho were left alone in the room.

Trisha watched Jericho stare at the glow of the sunrise. She eventually said. "Something's wrong with you... I know..." Jericho shook his head. Trisha stepped infront of him. "What is it that you're refusing to tell me?"

Jericho gritted his teeth. "It's none of your concern."

Trisha's eyes glistened. "Jericho I wanna help you, but you're not explaining to me what your problem is."

"Why even? There's nothing you can do about it." Jericho hissed.

Trisha bowed her head. "Are you still thinking about Fay?"

"It's not about Fay!" Jericho snapped. "I'm tired of hearing the name Fay! She's not my problem okay?!"

Trisha jumped with a jolt, and then squeezed her hands. "But... she broke up with you..."

"She didn't break up with me!" Jericho spun around, grasping his head as if it were about to explode. "She... she was killed..." He hid his face from Trisha.

Trisha's eyes shined. "But... I thought you said-"

"-That we're separated from each other for the rest of our lives." Jericho mumbled. "Does not usually mean by breakups..."

Trisha lowered her head from heaviness, and her eyes reddened. "I... I'm so sorry... I didn't... I didn't know..."

Jericho sighed. "Well, now you know..."

Trisha looked up at Jericho's back side. "So... who killed her?..."

Jericho's eyes darted at her, giving her a sudden chill in her blood. He then turned away. "...A monster..."

Trisha's eyes widened. "A what?"

Jericho stepped farther away from her. "... You heard me... A beast, a creature from Hell!"

Trisha's eyes widened even more, shocked by his words. They sounded too unbelievable, but she took it in as a murderer. She walked up to Jericho, and he could sense her close presence. "I'm so sorry..." Tears streamed out of Trisha's eyes. "I never should have brought this up in the first place..."

Jericho muttered. "It's not your fault... You didn't know..." He turned around to look at Trisha. He then pulled her close to him and hugged her. "I shouldn't have snapped like that towards you..."

Trisha buried her face into his white fur, happy that his warmth was holding her. All of a sudden, Sonic came running back into the house. Jericho and Trisha twisted their heads to look at him. Sonic's expression was clueless. "Um... Am I interrupting anything?" He chuckled. Jericho and Trisha pushed away from each other. Sonic laughed. "Oh that's alright, sorry I barged in like that. Just finished my walk is all." Trisha smiled. Sonic stretched out his arms. "So, what did you guys talk about?"

Trisha and Jericho looked at each other. Jericho's eyes were begging not to tell. Trisha shook her head, answering Sonic's question. "Nothing…"

Sonic clasped his hands together. "Alright then, who's up for some chilidogs? My treat!"

"No one else is back yet." Trisha said. Just then, the others arrived back. That's obvious...

Sonic raised his eyebrow. "Well now, just in time... We're having chilidogs!"


End file.
